Multimodal Hearing Prosthesis Biomarker Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aids rely on air conduction principles and fail to effectively address conductive hearing loss, while cochlear implants convert sound to electrical stimulation but lack adaptive capabilities to optimize sound perception for individuals with varying hearing abilities.
Innovation Solution
A multimodal hearing prosthesis that captures audio environments, identifies biomarkers indicative of the user's hearing ability, and adjusts its stimulation modes to provide personalized acoustic and electrical stimulation, enabling improved sound perception and rehabilitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hearing aids use air conduction to transmit acoustic signals, then they can provide sound amplification for sensorineural hearing loss, but they fail to effectively address conductive hearing loss
Solution Approach 1:
The hearing prosthesis system is designed to serve multiple hearing loss types through a unified platform. The system captures audio environments and identifies biomarkers to determine the recipient's hearing type (sensorineural or conductive), then adapts its processing mode accordingly - using air conduction optimization for sensorineural loss and bone conduction optimization for conductive loss, thereby achieving universal applicability across different hearing impairment types
2Reliability
If cochlear implants convert sound to electrical stimulation, then they can provide hearing perception for severe hearing loss, but they lack adaptive capabilities to optimize sound perception for individuals with varying hearing abilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures audio environments and identifies biomarkers from the recipient's responses and speech patterns. This feedback loop allows the system to assess the recipient's current hearing ability and adjust the electrical stimulation parameters accordingly, optimizing sound perception for each individual's specific hearing capabilities and rehabilitation stage
Solution Approach 2:
The hearing prosthesis transitions from static, fixed-parameter implants to dynamic systems that continuously adapt stimulation characteristics. The system modifies electrical stimulation in real-time based on identified biomarkers, enabling optimization for varying hearing abilities throughout the rehabilitation process rather than requiring manual reprogramming
3Stability of the object's composition
If hearing prostheses provide fixed stimulation modes, then they can deliver consistent acoustic or electrical stimulation, but they cannot provide personalized adaptation to individual hearing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of hearing capabilities and biomarker analysis before delivering optimized stimulation. By capturing audio environments and analyzing biomarkers in advance, the system pre-configures personalized stimulation parameters that are then consistently applied, combining the stability of fixed delivery with the benefit of personalized adaptation
Data Source
AI summary
A body worn or implantable hearing prosthesis, including a device configured to capture an audio environment of a recipient and evoke a hearing percept based at least in part on the captured audio environment, wherein the hearing prosthesis is configured to identify, based on the captured audio environment, one or more biomarkers present in the audio environment indicative of the recipient's ability to hear.