Real-time automatic switching between noise suppression algorithms for deployment in cochlear implants

Cochlear implant patients often complain about their difficulty in understanding speech in noisy environments. Currently a fixed noise suppression algorithm is used in cochlear implants regardless of the characteristics of the speech or noise environment. Access to an intelligent mechanism to determine the noise environment on-the-fly in order to automatically switch between different noise suppression algorithms in real-time can enhance patients experience with cochlear implants. In this paper, we report the first prototype system implementing such a real-time switching mechanism for automatic selection between two noise suppression algorithms designed for two commonly encountered noisy environments. The results obtained indicate the feasibility of this on-the-fly switching for actual deployment in cochlear implants.