Prevalence of increased binaural spectral loudness summation in the hearing impaired population

 

Funded by: Sonova

duration: 01.02.2024 - 31.07.2024

partners: Sonova, Acousticon, Hörzentrum Oldenburg

In this study, the amount of hearing-impaired individuals that show a so-called binaural broadband loudness summation. This effect regards the perceived loudness of environmental noises, which are often louder than desired, and was discovered quite recently. For Individuals with such loudness perception, hearing aid fitting can be stratified by the use of special procedures that exploit the individually measured loudness perception. The data of this study are acquired at the DHI, and at several collaborating healthcare professional facilities.

The DHI conducts the project at own initiative and received funding by Sonova AG.

 

Realistic hearing aid evaluation using virtual acoustics (AHEVA)

 

Funded by: german federal ministry for education and research

duration: 01.10.2023 - 31.03.2028

partner: Technische hochschule lübeck

The main goal of the project is evaluation testing of hearing aids in typical everyday situations both technically and perceptively in a reproducible way. This is enabled by using a virtual acoustic environment reproduced through a multichannel loudspeaker array. In contrast to existing procedures we pursue a novel approach, focussing on the ecological validity of the scenes and deriving technical and perceptualevaluation metrics from the scene itself. This provides new benchmarks for testing commercial hearing aids.

The DHI is a corporate partner within the project.

 

 

Evaluation of optimized earmolds designs

 

Funded by: Forschungsgemeinschaft deutscher Hörakustiker

Duration: 01.10.2022 - 30.09.2023

We evaluate specialized earmold designs that aim at reducing the occlusion effect im spite of a closed coupling. Such earmolds could avoid the usual compromise between comfort and natural own voice perception (usually achieved with open fits) and device performance (requiring a closed coupling) in hearing aid fitting.

 

Optical Hearing Enhancement

 

Funded by: German ministry of education and research

Duration: 01.10.2022 - 31.03.2025

Partners: medical laser centre Lübeck

In our project, the possibility of optical stimulation directly from the ear canal – as in classical hearing aids – is being investigated. Advantages over classical hearing aids with electromagnetic transducer are a higher, achievable bandwidth and the lack of need to close the ear canal. The project takes place in cooperation with Medical Laser Centre Lübeck GmbH and the Department of Otolaryngology of the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH). The DHI is embedded in the project as a subcontractor.

 

Hearing Acoustics at the Belt (HABelt)

 

Funded by: European Union – Interreg 5a (Germany-Denmark), Network project

Duration: 01.07.2022 - 30.06.2022

Partners: University of Southern Denmark - Research Unit of Oto-Laryngology, Technische Hochschule Lübeck

 

We extend the international collaboration within the area of hearing acoustics and audiology between Germany (Lübeck) and Denmark (Odense) in a network project. The first goal is the development of a hearing aid demonstrator protptype, with the long-term goal to make the benefits of hearing aids more experiencable and contribute to better hearing support in both countries. Further details can be found on the project page

 

Direction-dependent Reference Curves for the Freiburg Monosyllabic Speech Test (RIBREFREI)

 

Funded By: BMWi WIPANO - Transfer of Knowledge and Technology by Patents and Standards

Duration: 01.09.2021 - 30.08.2023

Partners: Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg

 

The main goal is to record standard reference curves for the Freiburg monosyllabic speech test in noise for different spatial arrangements of speech and noise. A special focus is the assessment of the influence of room acoustics on speech intelligibility in conditions where speech and noise are spatially separated.

 

Occlusion effect with variations of hearing aid coupling

 

Funded by: KIND Hörstiftung

duration: 01.10.2020 - 30.06.2021

 

For various individual earmold designs, the subjective and objective occlusion effect and further tramsmission parameters of a coupled hearing aid are determined. This allows to assess the compromise between the perception of the own voice and functionality of the hearing aid for different earmold designs, and to identify (non-) optimal designs for practical use.