The Sound of Innovation: How AI is Enhancing Hearing Aid Technology
The hearing industry is experiencing a revolution as hearing aids transition from medical devices to consumer technology. However, hearing loss is a complex issue that varies from individual to individual, so it’s crucial to seek professional help. What works for hearing better at home may only work in a quiet restaurant. Simply making everything louder is only sometimes the best solution. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes in.
Thanks to the latest advancements in AI and machine learning, AI hearing aids are changing how people with hearing loss experience the world. Oticon Real™ is the latest AI-powered smart hearing aid leading this transformative trend.
Unlike traditional hearing aids, which operate with pre-set programs or modes, AI hearing aids listen to millions of sounds heard daily and make millions of fine-tune adjustments in real time. This technology allows the hearing aid to detect the sounds that users want to hear most, like a spouse’s voice in a crowded restaurant. Oticon Real™, for example, is trained to respond to nearly infinite sound scenes by processing them the way the brain naturally does using Oticon’s ground-breaking technology known as BrainHearing™.
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In addition to improving speech clarity, AI hearing aids can track general health signals. Some AI hearing aids can track blood pressure, notify loved ones in the event of a fall, track fitness, and even predict and prevent early signs of dementia. The possibilities of this technology are limitless.
Oticon Real™, released in February 2023, is already receiving excellent user reviews. It used 360 microphones tested in familiar environments where 12M real-life sounds were gathered. The sound data trained the hearing aid’s computers to respond to nearly infinite sound scenes. Oticon Real™ keeps the soundscape more open than competitors without losing speech clarity, making it an undisputed leader among top-tier hearing aids.
AI technology has been integrated into everyday life in various ways. One example is speech recognition, which provides automated closed captioning for videos, making it easier for people with hearing loss to understand. Some audiologists are also using AI to assist in fitting hearing aids. Software with AI functions can provide suggestions to tune the hearing aid correctly as the audiologist plays sounds.
AI-powered hearing aids have established modes for different environments, such as being out in a crowded place, at home, or watching a movie. The hearing aid could adjust its frequencies depending on where the wearer was to optimize that person’s hearing ability. The latest AI-powered hearing aids can sense the ambient sound in the environment and automatically make changes as needed, such as lowering background noise while boosting speech and increasing the volume to improve hearing.
The future possibilities of AI technology applied to hearing loss are bright. AI could identify important voices to the wearer and emphasize those while filtering out others. More advanced future uses of AI include focusing on the conversation between multiple people in a noisy setting. AI could track the conversation and prioritize the changing primary voice of the conversation by monitoring the brain’s neural activity.
Another exciting future possibility for AI technology applied to hearing loss is augmented reality glasses that provide automated speech captions for the wearer to help them better understand the speaker.
AI-powered hearing aids like Oticon Real™ are transforming the hearing industry, offering significant benefits to people with hearing loss. This technology allows people to hear the sounds they want to hear most.
It’s an exciting time in hearing technology! Want to hear it for yourself? Book a free hearing test plus free 2-week trial and try the latest hearing aids today!
