Collaborate Disseminate
Scientists studying the mechanisms behind deafness have pinpointed a single gene they describe as a type of master switch for cell differentiation, opening up exciting new possibilities around restoration of hearing. The discovery is claimed to “overco… Continue reading “Master” switch for ear cell programming offers new hope for hearing loss
We’ve already seen camera-equipped glasses that tell blind wearers what they’re looking at. Well, Voicee is a bit different, in that it’s a microphone-equipped set of glasses which display the text of what other people are saying.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading Voicee glasses are the latest to offer captioning to deaf wearers
Over the years, we’ve seen a number of experimental “smart” gloves that convert their deaf wearer’s hand gestures into text and/or audible speech. The aptly named Sign Language Translation Glove, however, is claimed to be the first mass-produced produc… Continue reading Sign Language Translation Glove may soon be coming to a hand near you
Although cochlear implants do allow some deaf people to hear again, adjusting the devices to individual users can be challenging. An experimental new implant is designed to help in that regard, by reading the user’s brain waves.Continue ReadingCategory… Continue reading Brain wave-reading implant could better help the deaf to hear
For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, it can be difficult to pick out important sounds, such as a knock at the door or a fire alarm. Now researchers at the University of Washington have developed a smartwatch system called SoundWatch, which ident… Continue reading SoundWatch alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing people to important sounds
Humans continuously communicate with our bodies, and face masks cover one of the most expressive parts. For some, this is a muffler on strangers, but devastating for people who rely on lip-reading. Several masks exist that have a clear window for precisely this purpose, but they’re specialty and high-demand. [Erin …read more
A landmark study, led by researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, presents a novel hypothesis to explain age-related hearing loss, challenging the prevailing view that has dominated over half a century of medical science. The new research offers evi… Continue reading Hair-regrowth tech could reverse main cause of age-related hearing loss
Helen Keller once wrote “blindness separates people from things, deafness separates people from people,” and there are many technological projects dedicated to breaking down those interpersonal barriers. We’ve covered a number of motion-tracking gloves… Continue reading UCLA team demonstrates a wireless sign language translation glove
Getting a child’s attention can be difficult at the best of times. Add deafness into the picture, and it’s harder again. [Jake]’s daughter recently had to go without her cochlear implants, raising this issue. Naturally, he whipped up some hardware to solve the problem.
[Jake]’s solution was to devise a …read more
Continue reading Notification Wearable Helps Get Child’s Attention
If you’ve ever seen an experienced radio operator pull a signal out of the noise, or talked to someone in a crowded noisy restaurant, you know the human brain is excellent at focusing on a particular sound. This is sometimes called the cocktail party effect and if you wear a …read more