A system may include a wearable camera configured to capture images and a microphone configured to capture sounds, and a processor programmed to receive the images captured by the camera and audio signals representative of sounds received by the microphone. The processor may also be programmed to determine a look direction for a user based upon detection of a representation of a body part of the user in at least one of the captured images and a pointing direction of the body part relative to an optical axis associated with the wearable camera. The processor may further be programmed to cause selective conditioning of an audio signal received by the microphone from a region associated with the look direction of the user and cause transmission of the conditioned audio signal to an interface device.

The present disclosure relates to compact hearing aids, components thereof, and support systems therefor, as well as methods of insertion and removal thereof. The compact hearing aids generally include a sensor, such as a microphone, an actuation mass, an energy source for providing power to the compact hearing aid, a processor, and an actuator enclosed in a housing that is designed to be inserted through the tympanic membrane during a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure. In operation, the microphone receives sound waves and converts the sound waves into electrical signals. A processor then modifies the electrical signals and provides the electrical signals to the actuator. The actuator converts the electrical signals into mechanical motion, which actuates the actuation mass to modulate the velocity or the position of the tympanic membrane.

A sound adjustment method includes the following steps: obtaining a sound signal including frequency bands with a corresponding original sound pressure level value; converting the original sound pressure level value of each frequency band into a corresponding loudness level value; adjusting each loudness level value by a preset loudness level value to obtain an adjusted loudness level value of each frequency band; converting each adjusted loudness level value into a corresponding adjusted sound pressure level value; calculating a target sound pressure level value of each frequency band according to the original sound pressure level of each frequency band and each adjusted sound pressure level value; adjusting the original sound pressure level value of each frequency band by each target sound pressure level value to obtain an adjusted sound signal; outputting the adjusted sound signal.

A method, comprising receiving at least one sound at an electronic device. The at least one sound is enhanced for the at least one user based on a compound metric. The compound metric is calculated using at least two sound metrics selected from an engineering metric, a perceptual metric, and a physiological metric. The engineering metric comprises a difference between an output signal and a desired signal. At least one of the perceptual metric and the physiological metric is based at least in part on input sensed from the at least one user in response to the received at least one sound.

The present disclosure relates to compact hearing aids, components thereof, and support systems therefor, as well as methods of insertion and removal thereof. The compact hearing aids generally include a sensor, such as a microphone, an actuation mass, an energy source for providing power to the compact hearing aid, a processor, and an actuator enclosed in a housing that is designed to be inserted through the tympanic membrane during a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure. In operation, the microphone receives sound waves and converts the sound waves into electrical signals. A processor then modifies the electrical signals and provides the electrical signals to the actuator. The actuator converts the electrical signals into mechanical motion, which actuates the actuation mass to modulate the velocity or the position of the tympanic membrane.

A method, comprising receiving at least one sound at an electronic device. The at least one sound is enhanced for the at least one user based on a compound metric. The compound metric is calculated using at least two sound metrics selected from an engineering metric, a perceptual metric, and a physiological metric. The engineering metric comprises a difference between an output signal and a desired signal. At least one of the perceptual metric and the physiological metric is based at least in part on input sensed from the at least one user in response to the received at least one sound.

A system creates an audio profile. The audio profile may be stored in a database. For example, the audio profile may be securely stored in a database of a social network and associated with a user account. The audio profile may contain data describing the way in which the specific user hears and interprets sounds. Systems and applications which present sounds to the user may access the audio profile and modify the sounds presented to the user based on the data in the audio profile to enhance the audio experience for the user.

In one embodiment, an audio system can generate a parametrically formulated noise signal which can be adaptively reconfigured according to an input signal. According to an embodiment, an audio system can adaptively adjust a parametrically formulated noise signal according to environmental noise detected by the audio system. According to an embodiment, an audio system can present an adaptive level of activation energy in the presence of environmental noise such that a substantially constant and sufficient level of activation energy can be presented to an individual's auditory system such that additional sound energy corresponding to speech can become audible and intelligible to the individual.

A sound processor assembly included within a cochlear implant system includes a sound processor and a battery assembly. The sound processor includes a physical computing device configured to direct operation of a cochlear implant in accordance with a sound processing program associated with a cochlear implant implanted within a patient. The battery assembly includes an electric battery configured to provide electrical power to the sound processor, as well as a storage facility configured to store the sound processing program associated with the cochlear implant. The storage facility is integrated with the electric battery within the battery assembly. The sound processor assembly also includes a bidirectional communication interface communicatively coupling the battery assembly to the sound processor to allow the sound processor to store data to, and to retrieve stored data from, the storage facility of the battery assembly by way of the bidirectional communication interface. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

A system and method for aiding hearing are disclosed. In one embodiment of the system, a programming interface is configured to communicate with a device. The system screens, via a speaker and a user interface associated with the device, a left earand separately, a right earof a patient. The system then determines a left ear hearing range and a right ear hearing range. The hearing ranges are modified with a subjective assessment of sound quality according to the patient. The subjective assessment of sound quality according to the patient may be a completed assessment of a degree of annoyance caused to the patient by an impairment of wanted sound, for example.