Design of a distributable stereo hearing test package

The distributable hearing test platform is a novel advancement for research in audiology. With this system, scientists will be able to collect longitudinal data from patients before and after they have undergone various interventions to ameliorate hearing loss. The testing system is deployable to patients´ homes where they can take the hearing tests at their convenience. The hearing tests that are administered are more realistic and they will provide data useful for understanding how the brain learns to use a `new´ ear. Receiving the hearing test system is significantly cheaper and more convenient for the patient than traveling to take the existing, less informative test. The system currently includes two hearing tests - one that tests the ability to localize sound and another that tests the ability to distinguish speech from noise. This team has focused on the development of the speech-in-noise test. The portable hearing test platform includes a laptop and mouse, eight speakers arranged in an array, a microphone, and a webcam. The alpha prototype for the speech in noise hearing test has been validated and deployed to our first testing site: UVA´s Department of Otolaryngology, where it will acquire initial data on sound localization and speech-in-noise abilities. The final prototype, which will be delivered to our client in May 2014, will be sent to patients´ homes to allow for long-term data collection.