Evaluating the benefit of hearing aids with motion-based beamformer adaptation in a real-world setup

Conventional directional hearing aid microphone technology may obstruct listening intentions when the talker and listener walk side by side. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate hearing aids that use a motion sensor to address listening needs during walking. Each participant completed two walks in randomised order, one walk with each of two hearing aid programs: (1) conventional beamformer adaptation that activated an adaptive, multiband beamformer in loud environments and (2) motion-based beamformer adaptation that activated a pinna-mimicking microphone setting when walking was detected. Participants walked along a pre-defined track and completed tasks assessing speech understanding and environmental awareness. Participants were 22 older adults with moderate-to-severe hearing loss and experience using hearing aids. More participants preferred the motion-based than conventional beamformer adaptation for speech understanding, environmental awareness, overall listening, and sound quality (<i>p &lt;</i> 0.05). Measures of speech understanding (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) and localisation of sound stimuli (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) were significantly better with motion-based than conventional beamformer adaptation. The results suggest that hearing aid users can benefit from beamforming that uses motion sensor input to adapt the signal processing according to the user’s activity. The real-world setup of this study had limitations.传统定向助听器麦克风技术在说话者与听者并肩行走时，可能会妨碍聆听意图的实现。本研究旨在评估搭载运动传感器的助听器，以满足行走过程中的聆听需求。所有参与者以随机顺序完成两次行走测试，分别使用两种助听器程序：(1) 传统波束成形器（beamformer）适配模式：在嘈杂环境下启用自适应多频段波束成形器；(2) 基于运动的波束成形器适配模式：在检测到行走动作时，启用模拟耳廓的麦克风设置。参与者沿预设路线行走，并完成评估言语理解能力与环境感知能力的任务。本次研究的参与者为22名存在中重度听力损失且有助听器使用经验的老年人。在言语理解、环境感知、整体聆听体验与音质方面，选择基于运动的波束成形器适配模式的参与者人数显著多于传统波束成形器适配模式（p < 0.05）。基于运动的波束成形器适配模式下，言语理解能力（p < 0.01）与声音刺激定位能力（p < 0.05）的测试结果均显著优于传统波束成形器适配模式。研究结果表明，助听器使用者可通过搭载运动传感器输入、可根据用户活动调整信号处理的波束成形技术获益。本研究的真实场景设置存在一定局限性。