Today’s hearing aids have come a long way; existing models are remarkably effective and contain remarkable digital functions, like wifi connectivity, that markedly improve a person’s ability to hear along with their all-around quality of life.
But there is still room for improvement.
Particularly, in specific scenarios hearing aids have some difficulty with two things:
- Locating the source of sound
- Eliminating background noise
But that may soon change, as the most current research in hearing aid design is being guided from a surprising source: the world of insects.
Why insects hold the secret to improved hearing aids
Both mammals and insects have the equivalent problem regarding hearing: the transformation and amplification of sound waves into information the brain can use. What scientists are discovering is that the method insects use to solve this problem is in ways more effective than our own.
The organs of hearing in an insect are smaller and more sensitive to a broader range of frequencies, permitting the insect to sense sounds humans are unable to hear. Insects also can identify the directionality and distance of sound in ways more accurate than the human ear.
Hearing aid design has normally been guided by the way humans hear, and hearing aids have had a tendency to supply straightforward amplification of inbound sound and transmission to the middle ear. But researchers are now asking a completely different question.
Finding inspiration from the natural world, they’re asking how nature—and its hundreds of millions of years of evolution—has attempted to solve the problem of sensing and perceiving sound. By considering the hearing mechanism of different insects, such as flies, grasshoppers, and butterflies, scientists can borrow the best from each to construct a brand new mechanism that can be put to use in the design of new and improved miniature microphones.
Insect-inspired miniature directional microphones
Researchers from University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and the MRC/CSO Institute for Hearing Research (IHR) at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, will be evaluating hearing aids outfitted with a unique type of miniature microphone inspired by insects.
The hope is that the new hearing aids will accomplish three things:
- More energy-efficient microphones and electronics that will eventually lead to smaller hearing aids, reduced power usage, and longer battery life.
- The capability to more accurately locate the source and distance of sound.
- The ability to focus on specific sounds while cutting out background noise.
Researchers will also be trying out 3D printing methods to improve the design and ergonomics of the new hearing aids.
The future of hearing aids
For the majority of their history, hearing aids have been produced with the human hearing mechanism in mind, in an attempt to replicate the normal human hearing experience. Now, by asking a different set of questions, researchers are building a new set of goals. Rather than attempting to RESTORE normal human hearing, perhaps they can AUGMENT it.