Alternative path to hearing: photonic sonogram hearing aid

Elmer H. Hara

doi:10.1117/12.2283878

29 August 2017 Alternative path to hearing: photonic sonogram hearing aid

Elmer H. Hara

Proceedings Volume 10313, Opto-Canada: SPIE Regional Meeting on Optoelectronics, Photonics, and Imaging; 103132A (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2283878
Event: Opto-Canada: SPIE Regional Meeting on Optoelectronics, Photonics, and Imaging, 2002, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

For those with total hearing loss, there are no direct remedies except for electronic (i.e. cochlear) implants. They are invasive and do not always function in a satisfactory manner. Although sign language opens the window to a rich culture but communication with the hearing world is hindered. Lip reading can bridge that gap but communication is not without some stress. Inability to detect possible life threatening situations outside the visual field also affects the quality of life for those without the ability to hear. If the hearing process is viewed from the point of system engineering, there is a sound source and air is the transmission medium to the ear. The hearing structure of the ear converts mechanical vibrations to electrical signals that are then transmitted through nerve paths to the section of the brain where sound signals are processed. In most cases of total hearing loss, the hearing structure of the ear is non-functional. A cochlear implant bypasses this hearing structure. It electronically converts sounds from the air into their frequency components and feeds them into transmission nerve paths to the brain as electrical signals. This system-engineering point of view suggests that other pathways to the brain might be explored. The following section considers the visual pathway.

Citation Download Citation

Elmer H. Hara "Alternative path to hearing: photonic sonogram hearing aid", Proc. SPIE 10313, Opto-Canada: SPIE Regional Meeting on Optoelectronics, Photonics, and Imaging, 103132A (29 August 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2283878

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