AudioSense: Enabling Real-time Evaluation of Hearing Aid Technology In-Situ.

Abstract

AudioSense integrates mobile phones and web technology to measure hearing aid performance in real-time and in-situ. Measuring the performance of hearing aids in the real world poses significant challenges as it depends on the patient's listening context. AudioSense uses Ecological Momentary Assessment methods to evaluate both the perceived hearing aid performance as well as to characterize the listening environment using electronic surveys. AudioSense further characterizes a patient's listening context by recording their GPS location and sound samples. By creating a time-synchronized record of listening performance and listening contexts, AudioSense will allow researchers to understand the relationship between listening context and hearing aid performance. Performance evaluation shows that AudioSense is reliable, energy-efficient, and can estimate Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) levels from captured audio samples.