ReSound’s Tammara Stender recently contributed an article to the Hearing Journal’s R&D Blog on Binaural Fusion. The article talks about the philosophy behind Binaural Fusion; that the hearing aid user should remain in the driver’s seat and decide on the sound of interest, which is not the case with many wireless hearing aids.
Many hearing aids using wireless communication permit the user to focus on the loudest speech in the listening environment. Keeping the listener focused on the loudest speech signal often comes at the cost of monitoring other sounds surrounding the hearing aid. The listener may not even be aware of other sounds present when the hearing aids are focused solely on the signal of interest.
Binaural fusion supports natural binaural processing in the brain, allowing the user, not the hearing aid, to determine the sound of interest.
The Binaural Fusion technology strategy works as a two-step process to prioritize the user’s decision-making abilities. It first enlists the hearing aids to analyze and classify sounds synergistically in the environment. The best possible amplification is then provided, without the hearing aids making decisions about what the user does and does not want to hear. With Binaural Fusion, the loudest speech signal is still prioritized, but the option is also given to hear other signals. The hearing aid user is in the driver’s seat and allowed to navigate the listening environment instinctually and effectively.
Read the full article over at the Hearing Journal.
5 thoughts on “Binaural Fusion Puts Hearing Aid Users in the Driver’s Seat”
This is an interesting new technology. Is this strictly software/firmware? If so, can my Alera 9 be upgraded to include the binaural Fusion technology? And what would be the approximate price?
Hi Vincent,
We just launched ReSound Verso today! Check out our blog post about this new ear-to-ear hearing aid that uses binaural processing: http://gnresoundblog.com/2012/09/24/introducing-resound-verso/
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Hey There Gnresound,
Neat Post, I want to try making some binaural recoding with a volunteer as the dummy head. Can you suggest some good, preferably cheap mics I could use?
All the Best
I believe the less expensive mic we have used here is Audio Technica AT829CW Mini Lavalier Mic. One of the big things with the recording process is the size of the mic. The nice ones are DPA SMK4061, and I think you pay for the small size as well, but that would be a size spec you can shoot for. Hope this helps.