Date: 29/11/2010

Hearing aids to adjust the volume by sensing EEG signals

Panasonic has developed new technology for hearing aids where electroencephalogram (EEG) brain wave patterns recorded when example sounds heard at the normal sound volume are played into the user's ears during the test, the new technology enables to estimate the loudest level of sound the user can comfortably tolerate. Panasonic said it has started clinical evaluation of this method in cooperation with the University of Fukui, with an aim to put it into practice as an automatic volume level fitting system for hearing aids in the fiscal year starting April 2015.

Using this new method, the maximum volume level for each user can be estimated objectively based on the EEG response to auditory stimuli, normal volume sound, in a short time and with a high degree of accuracy. This method enables to set the hearing aid more accurately in the maximum volume and use more comfortably.
This technology has the following features.
Highly accurate estimation (a margin of error is +/-5 dB) of the acceptable maximum volume level is made based on the EEG pattern analyzing technology to auditory stimuli (pure tones) developed by Panasonic.
Hearing examination can be finished in a short time, within five minutes or so.
This method avoids the habituation to the auditory stimuli, so that the results are more objective without subjective response of the user.
This method enables to reduce physical strain on the users, because the auditory stimuli use normal sounds heard in everyday life.

On this development, Panasonic holds 18 domestic patents and eight overseas patents, including pending applications.