Direct Hearing Device

Project Description:
All hearing aids on the market work by producing an amplified sound from their small speaker in the ear canal. This method of sound amplification leads to several drawbacks: 1. Feedback of sound into the microphone which causes whistling, 2. Occlusion effect, where the ear plugging required by traditional hearing aids causes a sensation of blockage of ears, and 3. Distortion, where the sound in the small space of the canal gets distorted. We have developed a direct-drive hearing aid that allows for direct actuation of the tympanic membrane. The device is positioned deep in the ear canal and can directly vibrate the middle ear ossicles via the tympanic membrane. This leads to a more natural sound, akin to an implantable middle ear device, without the need for surgery. In addition, since the device does not produce sound, it does not cause the feedback, occlusion effect, or distortion. We have developed a prototype of the actuator that we have tested in short term (2 hour) experiments where we were able to demonstrate that the actuator can produce complex sound like speech and music.
The aim of this project is to produce a fully packaged hearing device that would include a microphone, speaker, battery, and signal processor attached to the actuator. Also in need of development is a method to provide fixation of the actuator in the ear canal to prevent displacement with movements of the head.

Project Mentor:
Engineering Mentor: None
Physician Mentor: Hamid Djalilian, MD, Department of Otolaryngology, UCI, hdjalili@uci.edu

Team Members: 

Adrian Dejesus Gomez-Mora, Adrian Marquez, Winston Ha Ngo, Nga Huy Nguyen, James Yu