Review of Recent Development of MEMS Speakers

Facilitated by microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, MEMS speakers or microspeakers have been rapidly developed during the past decade to meet the requirements of the flourishing audio market. With advantages of a small footprint, low cost, and easy assembly, MEMS speakers are drawing extensive attention for potential applications in hearing instruments, portable electronics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). MEMS speakers based on different transduction mechanisms, including piezoelectric, electrodynamic, electrostatic, and thermoacoustic actuation, have been developed and significant progresses have been made in commercialization in the last few years. In this article, the principle and modeling of each MEMS speaker type is briefly introduced first. Then, the development of MEMS speakers is reviewed with key specifications of state-of-the-art MEMS speakers summarized. The advantages and challenges of all four types of MEMS speakers are compared and discussed. New approaches to improve sound pressure levels (SPLs) of MEMS speakers are also proposed. Finally, the remaining challenges and outlook of MEMS speakers are given.

A Comparison of Environment Classification Among Premium Hearing Instruments

Hearing aids classify acoustic environments into multiple, generic classes for the purposes of guiding signal processing. Information about environmental classification is made available to the clinician for fitting, counseling, and troubleshooting purposes. The goal of this study was to better inform scientists and clinicians about the nature of that information by comparing the classification schemes among five premium hearing instruments in a wide range of acoustic scenes including those that vary in signal-to-noise ratio and overall level (dB SPL). Twenty-eight acoustic scenes representing various prototypical environments were presented to five premium devices mounted on an acoustic manikin. Classification measures were recorded from the brand-specific fitting software then recategorized to generic labels to conceal the device company, including (a) Speech in Quiet, (b) Speech in Noise, (c) Noise, and (d) Music. Twelve normal-hearing listeners also classified each scene. The results revealed a variety of similarities and differences among the five devices and the human subjects. Where some devices were highly dependent on input overall level, others were influenced markedly by signal-to-noise ratio. Differences between human and hearing aid classification were evident for several speech and music scenes. Environmental classification is the heart of the signal processing strategy for any given device, providing key input to subsequent decision-making. Comprehensive assessment of environmental classification is essential when considering the cost of signal processing errors, the potential impact for typical wearers, and the information that is available for use by clinicians. The magnitude of differences among devices is remarkable and to be noted.

Speech-language-hearing instruments to assess peripheral facial palsy: an integrative literature review

ABSTRACT Purpose: to describe and analyze the clinical instruments that assess peripheral facial palsy through an integrative literature review. Methods: the precepts for this type of review were followed: research question, identification, selection of studies, and critical analysis. The Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Google Scholar, and PubMed databases were accessed to search for fully available articles published in national journals between January 2008 and July 2018. The terms used in the search were “Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences”, “Evaluation”, and “Facial Paralysis”, in both English and Portuguese. The data obtained were organized per author, title, objective, instruments used, description of the instruments, and application procedures used in the articles. Results: out of the total 992 articles found, only 18 met the inclusion criteria of the research. In most of them, there was only the citation of the assessment instruments or considerations about them, without fully describing the application procedures. Conclusion: the study identified publications that indicate the use of clinical and speech-language-hearing assessment instruments. However, further detailing is necessary regarding the assessment procedures to help develop and refine the speech-language-hearing methodologies and techniques.

Preliminary Examination of the Accuracy of a Fall Detection Device Embedded into Hearing Instruments

Background Accidental falls are a significant health risk to older adults and patients seen in audiology clinics. Personal emergency response systems are effective in preventing long lies (defined as remaining on the floor or ground for greater than one hour after a fall), but some individuals would prefer to wear less-conspicuous devices than a traditional neck-worn pendant. No previous investigation has compared the accuracy of head-worn fall detection devices with those worn on other parts of the body. In this study, we compared the accuracy of one commonly used fall detection pendant with two variants of a new hearing instrument-based fall detection system. Purpose The purpose of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of detecting falls by using inertial sensors embedded in hearing instruments. Research Design A study with repeated measures for one group. Study Sample Ten young adults served as participants. All participants had normal or corrected-to-normal vision during testing. Individuals were excluded if they had self-reported cardiac disorders, recent concussions, or musculoskeletal conditions. Data Collection and Analysis Data were collected from inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, embedded into a binaural set of hearing instruments, during laboratory-based simulations of falls, near-falls, and activities of daily living (ADLs). The detection state of a fall detection pendant was simultaneously recorded during performance of each trial and compared with the outputs of offline hearing instrument firmware emulators. Results One hearing instrument-based fall detection system was more accurate than the fall detection pendant. A second hearing instrument-based fall detection system performed similar to the fall detection pendant. Each of the three fall detection systems investigated were robust against false-positive detections during ADLs. Conclusions Preliminary findings demonstrate that hearing instruments embedded with a fall detection device (FDD) may be a suitable alternative to more traditional forms of FDDs (e.g., pendant, wrist-worn device, etc.) for detecting falls and potentially preventing long lies.

The Hearing Health Care Journey: Putting Beans in Your Cups

One of the areas MarkeTrak has explored is the customer journey through hearing health care. The survey has asked question regarding how long they had a hearing loss before they took some type of action, where did they start their journey, why did they obtain hearing instruments or not, and what the hearing instruments cost. To put that journey in perspective, this article looks at the journey of one specific individual and explores their attitudes about their hearing loss through the eyes of a psychologist.