How can 5G help hearing-impaired people have a much clearer hearing of speech in a noisy environment? Dutch company Absolute Audio Labs is experimenting with integrating 5G technology into a hearing aid. Their aim is to significantly improve the audibility of a conversation, even when someone is whispering.
Duration
September – October 2024
Partners (TU Delft)
Do IoT Fieldlab, TU Delft
Partners (other)
Many hearing-impaired people struggle to clearly understand conversations in busy environments. Today’s hearing aids often amplify all the audio: not only the person who is talking to you, but also background noise. This makes engaging in a conversation difficult, resulting in frustration and isolation. Absolute Audio Labs addresses this problem by integrating 5G technology into their hearing aids. To this end, they use AI and machine-learning algorithms. The outcome: much better sound quality both for speech and music experience.
Various conditions
The experiments focus on real-time audio processing and transmission in different conditions. Think of varying the speaking volume: starting with a conversation at ordinary volume, gradually swifting to a person whispering something. Furthermore the experiments also involve adjusting conditions with different types of background noise. For example, a few people having a conversation in the background or a very crowded environment. Over the course of the research, progressively it will become clearer how 5G and other technology affects audibility of speech and the quality of music perception for a hearing impaired person.
Advantages of 5G
Thanks to the extremely low latency and large amounts of data that 5G can process, Absolute Audio Labs can further refine real-time processing and enhancement of sound. This is expected to ensure better participation and quality of life for hearing-impaired people in the future.