Hearing aids improve hearing - but there is much more to these small devices: as a health centre in the ear, they could take on a variety of tasks in the future. Over the next five years, researchers from the Universities of Oldenburg and Bremen will be pursuing concrete approaches. Together, they want to equip hearing aids with additional functions that give early warning of the risk of falling, recognise cognitive changes or document the progression of Parkinson's disease.
The German Research Foundation is funding the HEARAZ (Hearable-centred Assistance: From Sensor to Participation) research training group with around 6.5 million euros, which the two universities have jointly applied for. The twelve experienced scientists from both universities will give 15 researchers the opportunity to complete a doctorate in the first funding phase. They are combining their expertise and laboratories: Oldenburg has many years of experience in hearing aid research and expertise from the participating medical disciplines of geriatrics, ear, nose and throat medicine and neurology. Bremen provides expertise in biosignal and speech processing as well as nursing science skills.
"The HEARAZ research training group benefits from the many years of excellent hearing research at the University of Oldenburg, including in the Hearing4all cluster of excellence, and adds a completely new perspective to this research complex. Young researchers have the opportunity to work in a very exciting field, the results of which can be used directly to support people in their everyday lives," says Prof Dr Ralph Bruder, President of the University of Oldenburg.
HEARAZ brings together researchers from different disciplines, including doctoral students from Computing Science, Physics, Medicine and Nursing Science, Neuroscience, Healthcare Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. "The aim of the Research Training Group is to develop individualised assistance functions that enable older people in particular to participate in normal everyday life for longer and in a self-determined manner," explains Prof. Dr Andreas Hein, Professor of Automation and Measurement Technology at the University of Oldenburg and spokesperson for the new Research Training Group.
The focus is on different approaches to further developing hearing aids into so-called hearables, which accompany wearers through everyday life as health assistants. The ear is well suited for collecting various health data using sensors. Brain waves recorded at the ear can provide information about alertness. Blood pressure and pulse can also be measured, as can a person's movements. The microphones of a hearable can register not only speech patterns and body sounds but also ambient noise.
The scientists at HEARAZ are researching different ways of relating data like this to each other and analysing it - sometimes using artificial intelligence - in such a way that it adds value for users. One sub-project, for example, involves recording the movements of the chewing muscles and issuing an early warning if saliva or food gets into the windpipe. Such aspiration sometimes goes unnoticed in older people and can have health consequences. Another example is the continuous measurement of individual gait parameters, stress levels and environmental factors, which can be used to predict an increased risk of falling. The researchers also want to analyse speech characteristics of hearing aid wearers, as cognitive changes, such as those that occur in dementia, have an influence on the way people speak. People with Parkinson's could also benefit from the health centre on the ear if the device documents the symptoms of the disease around the clock.
In addition to the medical and technical factors, the research team is also investigating the social and ethical issues associated with a health centre on the ear. One example is speech analysis, where the privacy of the wearer, carers and relatives must be taken into account. The close involvement of affected and involved persons, such as patients and relatives, is particularly relevant for these questions. The Research Training Group will therefore be supported from the outset by an advisory board consisting of representatives of the groups of people involved, who can also help shape the research questions and approaches.
Participation in a Computing Science Research Training Group
The universities of Oldenburg and Bremen are also expanding their cooperation within the framework of a Research Training Group in the field of Computing Science, which has also now been approved. Both universities are involved in the CAUSE (Concepts and Algorithms for - and Usage of - Self-Explaining Digitally Controlled Systems) network led by the Hamburg University of Technology. The Oldenburg Computing Science specialist Prof Dr Martin Fränzle is co-spokesperson for this research training group. At the three locations, scientists at the beginning of their careers will work together with experienced researchers to make so-called cyber-physical systems easier to understand. Such systems underlie applications in the electricity grid, cashless payment and public transport processes, for example. The results of the research training group should help to make complex systems more comprehensible for users and developers. At the Oldenburg site, the focus is on the areas of systems and software.
