Originally published July 5 2005
Hearing aid developed for cell phones
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new company called Sound ID is outfitting wireless headsets with software used to help the hearing impaired through sound-processing algorithms that analyze acoustic environments.
isn't just a slogan; it's an annoyingly familiar refrain for cell-phone users.
Palo Alto startup Sound ID wants to silence that question by outfitting wireless headsets with software used to help the hearing impaired.
Its Personal Sound System uses sound-processing algorithms to analyze acoustic environments, so if someone is stuck in a noisy restaurant, the headset instantly boosts the voice signal, separating it from background noise and increasing the volume of human speech by 2 decibels.
When the user moves into a quieter room, the levels stabilize.
"The system knows which sounds your ear is missing," says Rodney Perkins, Sound ID's founder and chairman.
This fall Sound ID will start selling a Bluetooth headset developed by design firm Ideo.
Eventually the technology could be integrated into any cell-phone chip, which explains why Texas Instruments (TXN) was one of several firms to invest a total of $26 million in the five-year-old startup.
Sound ID will also sell the Personal Sound System to audiologists to assist patients suffering from mild hearing impairment, a market that could be worth $1 billion a year.
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