App Boosts the Sounds You Have Trouble Hearing
By Vezina, Kenrick; Technology Review,Publication Date: November 17, 2011
Article describes a new smart phone application that customizes the audio output of a mobile device to match the listener’s ability to hear. The application, or app, called ACEHearing, includes a test that diagnoses the user’s specific form of hearing loss. During the test, which is performed with headphones, the app plays sounds across a range of frequencies and asks whether the user can hear them. The software then adjusts the device’s audio output by amplifying the most troublesome frequencies. ACEHearing was developed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in collaboration with the Hong Kong based software company Ximplar. According to a Ximplar spokesperson, clinical trials have shown that the test administered by ACEHearing is equivalent to those administered by a traditional audiologist. According to the article, the developers of the app are negotiating with several smart phone manufacturers to incorporate their product into new phones.
Published by: Technology Review, Inc. (Website:http://www.technologyreview.com)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Web Site: http://www.mit.edu )
Link to text: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/39149/
Link to audio: http://www.audiodizer.com/technologyreview/biomedicine/39149.mp3
