Abstract
Digital hearing aids offer many advantages over conventional hearing aids. These include programmability, communication with and control by a host computer, and the potential for implementing advanced signal processing techniques for reducing background noise and for enhancing speech intelligibility. Three types of experimental digital hearing aids have been developed: (1) a quasidigital system in which the audio signals remain in analog form but are controlled by digital means, (2) a digital filtering system under microprocessor control, and (3) real-time simulation of a prescribed hearing aid on a high-speed, general-purpose computer. Recent experiments using digital hearing aids have evaluated new methods of hearing-aid prescription, techniques for processing speech to improve intelligibility for the hearing impaired, methods of noise reduction, and new approaches to the measurement and specification of hearing-aid characteristics. Existing experimental digital hearing aids are relatively large in size, the smallest being a body-worn unit. Current engineering efforts are directed towards developing a unit small enough to be worn on or in the ear.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
