Question
What motivated Widex to develop a hearing aid with machine learning?
Answer
Our vision is to help people access a world of sound by providing perfect hearing. We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our vision, and with machine learning we saw the potential to achieve it. Direct connectivity to smart phones via 2.4GHz unlocked the door to put something really powerful, yet incredibly simple and intuitive in the hands of the wearer. What the machine-learning algorithm in SoundSense Learn really allows is quick and effective minor adjustments of the hearing aid in the moment, in real-life, but without the need to learn complex controls.
When hearing aid automation doesn’t meet the wearer’s listening intention, it won’t sound like they want it to. With SoundSense Learn, they can make an effective change without complex adjustment. It benefits the clinician too by reducing the number of frustrating post-fitting appointments. When we discovered that machine learning benefits everyone involved from wearer to clinician, we were really excited. This was the perfect motivation to incorporate this technology into a hearing aid. This innovation was realized in Widex EVOKE with SoundSense Learn.
This Ask the Expert is an excerpt from the interview, Evolve with Evoke: The World's First Real-Time Machine Learning Hearing Aid.
