CROSbud Hearing Aids for Those Affected by Single-Sided Hearing Loss
School Name
Center For Advanced Technical Studies
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
People with one-sided hearing tend to have trouble interpreting the sound of interest and the path of their conversations in areas with a large amount of background noise. Devices currently available to fix this problem provide amplified hearing to both ears. Depending on the individual's type and degree of hearing loss, there are varied solutions available for addressing their particular hearing needs. In the extreme, some solutions are even surgical or a combination of surgical and device implantation. Examples of these include cochlear implants and bone-anchored hearing aids, otherwise known as BAHA's. The goal of this project is to develop a non-surgical solution that is inexpensive, portable and utilizes readily available technology. To achieve this ambition, a pair of earbuds are altered to work as an assistive hearing aid to uniaural listeners which allows them to experience full stereo listening and mimic a person with binaural hearing. The earbuds are wired to create a virtual ear for the non-hearing ear utilizing a basic microphone which is connected to an additional microphone placed on the hearing side to be able to combine and mix the input from the environment to create a full listening experience for the individual. Through tests using sound at different decibels and distances, the first prototype proved to be very succesful in improving the overall quality of hearing by amplifying the sound and showing promising results for the project as a whole.
Recommended Citation
Hill, Elise, "CROSbud Hearing Aids for Those Affected by Single-Sided Hearing Loss" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 149.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/149
Location
John's Hall 105
Start Date
3-28-2020 9:30 AM
Presentation Format
Oral Only
Group Project
No
CROSbud Hearing Aids for Those Affected by Single-Sided Hearing Loss
John's Hall 105
People with one-sided hearing tend to have trouble interpreting the sound of interest and the path of their conversations in areas with a large amount of background noise. Devices currently available to fix this problem provide amplified hearing to both ears. Depending on the individual's type and degree of hearing loss, there are varied solutions available for addressing their particular hearing needs. In the extreme, some solutions are even surgical or a combination of surgical and device implantation. Examples of these include cochlear implants and bone-anchored hearing aids, otherwise known as BAHA's. The goal of this project is to develop a non-surgical solution that is inexpensive, portable and utilizes readily available technology. To achieve this ambition, a pair of earbuds are altered to work as an assistive hearing aid to uniaural listeners which allows them to experience full stereo listening and mimic a person with binaural hearing. The earbuds are wired to create a virtual ear for the non-hearing ear utilizing a basic microphone which is connected to an additional microphone placed on the hearing side to be able to combine and mix the input from the environment to create a full listening experience for the individual. Through tests using sound at different decibels and distances, the first prototype proved to be very succesful in improving the overall quality of hearing by amplifying the sound and showing promising results for the project as a whole.
