Kortney Bush — Evaluation of a Protocol for Virtual Testing of Speech Recognition in Noise when Using “Live Listen” Feature on the iPhone
Poster presented virtually at the Texas Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, October 2020
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Listen to Kortney Bush’s recorded presentation (on YouTube)
Little is known about the treatment outcomes for virtual aural rehabilitation. The purpose of this pilot study is to provide a foundation for future research in virtual access to aural rehabilitation services and facilitate ongoing collaboration with the UT Dallas engineering department regarding the development of apps for persons with hearing loss.
Chi Tran — Evaluation of Important Factors in Electroacoustic Verification of Wireless Technology
Poster presented virtually at the American Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, April 2020
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Listen to Chi Tran’s recorded presentation (on YouTube)
Electroacoustic verification of wireless technology systems has an important role in the effectiveness and consistency of auditory rehabilitation. Factors that can affect electroacoustic analysis with wireless digital modulation (DM) systems include directional features of the transmitter and settings on the DM receiver. Despite control for these, variability was noted across 18 DM receivers when tested with the same transmitter and hearing aid. The results suggest the need for regular electroacoustic verification of wireless technology systems.
Rebekah Havens — Electroacoustic Verification of Hearing Aids with Smartphone Connectivity — 2020
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The purpose of this project was to obtain electroacoustic verification of Made for iPhone hearing aids (HA) which function with an iPhone as a remote microphone (RM) in an effort to develop an evaluation protocol. While ANSI S3.47 provides instructions for the electroacoustic evaluation of assistive devices, there are no protocols for the evaluation of HAs that connect with smartphones used as a RM. Results suggested that electroacoustic results may not be maintained when aid is connected to a smartphone.
Rebekah Havens — Features of MFi and MFA Hearing Aids — 2019
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With the popularity of smartphones, many persons are interested in their connectivity with hearing aids. The first aids directly connected to iPhones and were referred to as MFi (Made for iPhone) aids. The purpose of this project was to compare features across hearing instruments with wireless connectivity to smartphones. The features of interest include smartphone compatibility, rechargeable batteries, telecoil, style of aid, and other capabilities such as health data tracking. Information was collected by first consulting websites and then getting clarification from manufacturers so that comparisons could be made of these common desirable features.
David McCullough, Emma Freeman — Testing Hearing Thresholds using Smartphone-Based App
Posted presented at the UTD Doctorate of Audiology Program Specialized Topics in Acoustics Research, February 2020
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The purpose of this study is to consistently achieve thresholds from a smartphone application that are in line with a GSI-61 audiometer calibrated for clinical environments. While the GSI-61 meets industry-grade certification independent applications are subject to the standards of developers. Thresholds from persons with normal hearing indicated a lack of agreement with the clinical protocol which led to adjustments to the algorithm. A second version of the app is currently being tested since results from the first version revealed a need for improvement.
Audrey Harris — Use of the Assistive Technology Validation Protocol to Demonstrate the Benefits of Wireless Technology
Poster presented at the Texas Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, October 2018
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It is common that communication challenges experienced by persons with hearing loss often result in the need for technology beyond the personal hearing aid. Noisy environments lead to reduced speech recognition in both individuals with hearing loss and with normal hearing. The purpose of the study was to examine a protocol developed to validate the benefit of using assistive listening devices to enhance speech recognition in noise.
