Development and analysis of synoptic evaluation strategy for research platforms for Cochlear Implants and hearing aids

Abstract

Cochlear Implants—Hearing Aids(CI/HA) offer opportunities for researchers wishing to advance algorithm development, since the existing commercial CIs/HAs are closed/sealed for customization, due to intellectual property and safety requirements. In general, Research Platforms (RPs), such as CCi-MOBILE (developed at CRSS-CILab, UTDallas), emulate the functionality of CIs/HAs, and allow researchers to insert their customized sub-algorithms for either benchtop (soundbooth) or field testing. To date, little formalized studies have explored RP performance effectiveness or a formal safety test paradigm. Here, a two phase comprehensive evaluation strategy is proposed that involves acoustical signal processing and user specified electrical stimulation configuration for CCi-MOBILE. While the full evaluation strategy is tedious (+407 h of audio testing: Acoustical test {380 h}, Stimulation parameter test {27 h}), an agile reduced safety test and researcher performance evaluation paradigm is developed by sub-sampling the comprehensive test and system evaluation parameter space. The synoptic safety and performance evaluation paradigm is evaluated to selectively prioritize test conditions based on: (i) acoustical diversity and electrical current level characteristics and (ii) CI stimulation configuration test conditions using physical limits of RF pulses. The proposed synoptic safety and performance evaluation paradigm is shown to be efficient, effective, and ensures reliability of each potentially deployed RP in the field.