In this project, Professor Jennifer Linden at University College London is testing a novel signal-processing strategy designed to make it easier to understand speech in noisy places.
Project start date: September 2026
Project end date: September 2029
About the project
Hearing aids and other assistive listening technologies primarily increase the volume of sound, which is like increasing the brightness of a TV screen. In noisy environments, listening to speech effectively requires something more of a speech sharpening effect. However, sharpening speech tends to make speech sound uncomfortably loud and scratchy, especially in noisy environments.
To improve listening in noisy environments for people with hearing loss, the researchers have developed a novel signal-processing algorithm that could be used in hearing aids. It works by enhancing normal brain responses to sound.
The algorithm has previously been tested in people with normal hearing while they were listening to rapidly changing sounds or to individual words. The aim of this project is to test whether the novel signal-processing algorithm improves speech perception and reduces listening effort in noisy environments.
How it works
The researchers will recruit individuals with normal hearing, as well as those with hearing loss or speech-in-noise perception difficulties. They will measure the participants’ ability to discriminate words or sentences in noise, with and without the signal processing applied. They will also track the participants’ listening efforts and speech perception (using pupillometry and electroencephalography).
What will this research achieve?
If successful, the proposed novel signal-processing algorithm will improve speech perception and reduce listening effort in noise. The algorithm could be incorporated in hearing aids, cochlear implants or assistive listening devices to improve speech perception in noise, for example during a conversation at a restaurant. The algorithm could also be added into headphones to improve perception of phone calls in noisy environments, or perception of fast speech.
Why it matters
Listening to speech in noisy environments is challenging for everyone, but it is particularly difficult for people with hearing loss. Ultimately, the researchers hope that the proposed novel signal processing algorithm might help create true “spectacles for the ears” that sharpen hearing as effectively as corrective lenses sharpen vision.
About the researcher
Jennifer Linden PhD is Professor of Neuroscience at University College London (UCL) and the Director of the UCL Ear Institute. She is also a member of the Strategy Board for the NIHR-UCLH Biomedical Research Centre “Hearing Health” Theme.
This grant will enable me to advance my research much more quickly toward a potentially positive outcome for people with hearing loss. Early-stage translational research on truly novel ideas is often too risky for industries to sponsor; funders like RNID play a critical role in helping to ensure that those novel ideas don’t languish for years awaiting testing.”
