At Eriksholm we explore varying scientific areas with potential to improve the lives of people with hearing impairment. Meet our scientists and read about their current and finalized work right here.
Research into Personalised Audiology can be viewed in two ways. Firstly, understanding the specific basis for hearing loss in an individual with new diagnostic measures and clarifying the “missing link” from diagnostics and hearing instrument fitting to audiological and perceptual outcomes. Secondly, methods to understand the real needs and challenges of an individual in that person’s daily life. This can be achieved through attempts to stratify user experience based on ‘big data’ collected through data-logging from hearing instruments and other means. Our research within this area aims at giving the right rehabilitation to suit an individual hearing loss in that individual’s context or need.
Many people with hearing loss may report that sounds are loud enough, and that speech can be understood, but overall, it is just too tiring and often too hard to listen. Studies indicate that understanding spoken language, especially in adverse or complex auditory environments, seems to be strongly influenced by working memory capacity. When multiple sounds overlap in time and/or space, other aspects of cognition such as attention and executive functions play a role in how the listener responds to wanted & unwanted inputs. We believe this can potentially lead to disengagement, fatigue, and social isolation, conditions which are speculated to lead to further effects, such as poorer mental and physical health. Our research within this area aims at identifying key factors that influence unwanted use of working memory capacity.
Execution of attention takes place at two levels, overt and covert. Overt attention or full attention is a direct focus, for example when looking at a sound source with the purpose of listening to it. Covert attention is attending to a sound source when at the same time looking elsewhere or perhaps even doing or pretending to do something else. Our research within this area comprises means of measuring eye-gaze, head-movements, and brain signals in both people with normal and impaired hearing. We need to understand not only how full attention works, but also the situations where the listener does not wish to execute full attention to certain sound sources.
The AI focus at Eriksholm explores two transformative branches of research: Hearing Aid Systems where we focus on advancing machine learning approaches to provide the right sound at the right moment to the hearing aid user, and Computational Audiology where we aim at improving the precision of diagnostics that will help Hearing Care Professionals make more accurate first fittings.
At Eriksholm Research Centre we are always on the look-out for opportunities to collaborate with experienced talents from elsewhere in international academia. Perhaps you have an idea for a pioneering project where one or more of our scientists would be a great match?
Or perhaps you would like to join our scientific team a principal scientist or fellow. Either way, if you are a recognized scientist within one or more of Eriksholm’s scientific focus areas, we invite you to reach out.