
Mind-controlled hearing aid allows the wearer to focus on particular voices - drugme
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/15/scientists-create-mind-controlled-hearing-aid
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btbuildem
Making it work as a selective sound cancellation device would be amazing in
open office environments.

I have a few people in my office whose voices I would love to tune out on a
regular basis -- Screambo Braydonkey, the Exuberant Yellboy and the Tedious
Lizard are some examples.

This tech works by amplifying what the wearer's mind focuses on -- could the
opposite work (canceling out what the listener is focused on), or would that
create a peculiar feedback loop, forcing the listener's attention to switch
between different voices as they're tuned out in turn?

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drugme
_Making it work as a selective sound cancellation device would be amazing in
open office environments._

Then again - this would be a perfect of example of bleeding edge technology
being used to "fix" a certain situation -- namely (1) toxic "open plan" office
environments created by managers who (2) either have no clue or basically
don't give a fuck -- whose root causes are far more mundane, and (in
principle) can be treated at the source.

That is - by simply getting enough co-workers to get together and letting
management know that you simply won't be having any of it.

~~~
serf
>Then again - this would be a perfect of example of bleeding edge technology
being used to "fix" a certain situation

Great!

>That is - by simply getting enough co-workers to get together and letting
management know that you simply won't be having any of it.

Because _no-one_ likes open plan offices, right?

You can show me study after study of how inefficient something might be, but
your solution of gathering co-workers and talking to management presupposes
that everyone is on board. That's not usually the case. Some folks may join
your cause to avoid upsetting coworkers. Some may actually enjoy the setup and
feel pressured to conform to their coworkers plans.

The technology solution in this case is an individual fix that doesn't affect
others -- and while it may continue to allow the atrocity of open-office-
planning to exist, it won't interrupt the lives of others' on a whim that
everyone shares the same feelings towards something.

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jrace
>“One of the reasons people struggle is that they often wait a long time
before getting a hearing aid and in that time the brain forgets how to filter
out the noise and focus on the speech,” she said. “This is really interesting
research and I’d love to see the real world impacts of it.”<

As a hearing-aid dispenser for over 10 years that was my biggest hurdle to get
my clients to overcome.

Yu must work hard at hearing better, it is not enough to just hear more. Most
people were shocked that the (expensive) device would not allow them to hear
only what/who they wanted. {How could the device even what you wanted?}

Those that kept going to noisy places and kept exercising there hearing system
were successful. Most gave up when faced with the reality that they needed to
work harder.

Technology like is discussed in the OP would be revolutionary.

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RickJWagner
Amazing, and I need one of these!

I damaged my hearing years ago (operating a stump grinder without protection.
Doh!) I can hear things perfectly well in most environments, but a crowded
room is terrible for me. I can be looking right at the person I'm talking to
and won't be able to distinguish their voice from the background noise.

I really hope these become widely commercialized. I'd like one.

~~~
teh_klev
> but a crowded room is terrible for me.

I'm in the same boat. Too many Motorhead gigs in the 80's have taken their
toll :). I can hear a pin drop in my house, but as soon as I'm in an
environment with background noise - a pub, a busy street or even a restaurant
(though I think restaurants may be problem for many folks[0]) - I find it
difficult to hear people speaking to me. Semi-jokingly, I've often thought
about taking up a pal's suggestion that I should give in and get myself an
ear-trumpet :)

[0]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17629497](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17629497)

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modzu
before yall get too ahead of yourselves:

"The current version of the hearing aid, which involved direct implants into
the brain, would be unsuitable for mainstream use"

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stonewhite
I always wonder if hearing aid has military applications, or for non-hearing-
disabled people. Is it possible to have an above average hearing with this?

~~~
jrace
Hearing aid technology is used in milatary and police aplpications, mostly as
small discrete communication devices.

I warn against using devices to make it easier to hear - when you have no
hearing loss - as it could make your hearing system "lazy".

Just like physiotherapists now advise against overuse of knee and neck braces.
Better to strengthen the muscles needed to do the function rather than
supplement with an aid.

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stcredzero
I would like a device which can reliably only record my own voice. This would
allow one to create a verbal record of what is happening in emergencies, which
could be very useful if combined with a video record. Also, such a device
could simply remain on all the time. Only recording one's own voice would
allow continual use of the device in two party recording consent states.

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Yuioup
This would be a game-changer for me if this works well.

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sdrothrock
I wonder if an equivalent technology for cochlear implant users is in the
works...

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hmd_imputer
I see a great potential for the people suffering from Misophonia

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theclaw
I don’t understand. I thought the brain does the isolation of single voices
from an audio stream, not the ear drum.

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aaron695
Hearing enhancement for everyone is easy with current tech.

But people won't do it because it looks like you're disabled.

But once enough people do it, it'll no longer look that way and be cool like
sunglasses. But they are not. So we don't.

Strange world.

~~~
saagarjha
Counterpoint: AirPods are pretty “cool” and can serve as assistive hearing
aids through Live Listen.

~~~
throwitaway9
Its very interesting that people are prepared to wear "cool" AirPods but still
shy away from hearing aids because they don't want to look old or disabled.
Hearing aid manufacturers are starting to catch on and market aids more as
lifestyle accessories rather than medical devices that fix a disability, which
will help a lot. Also, aids are much smaller and sleeker now, they look pretty
cool, the tide will turn eventually and more people will start to accept them
- i'm not sure they will become as cool as glasses but they'll at least become
acceptable.

BTW: the live listen on Apple devices is a nice feature but it nowhere near
being a hearing aid.

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wprapido
Inclusive of voices in one's head?

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DonHopkins
In Soviet Russia, hearing aid controls your mind.

