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 (p < 0.05). Measures of speech understanding (p < 0.01) and localisation of sound stimuli (p < 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，可能会干扰听者的聆听意图。本研究旨在评估搭载运动传感器的助听器，以解决行走过程中的聆听需求问题。所有受试者以随机顺序完成两轮行走测试，分别佩戴两种助听器程序：（1）传统波束成形器（beamformer）适配程序：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程序：当检测到行走动作时，启用模拟耳廓麦克风（pinna-mimicking microphone）设置。受试者沿预设路径行走，并完成旨在评估言语识别能力与环境感知能力的测试任务。本研究的受试者为22名存在中重度听力损失且有助听器使用经验的老年人。在言语识别、环境感知、整体聆听体验与音质四个维度上，选择基于运动的波束成形器适配程序的受试者人数显著多于传统波束成形器适配程序组（p < 0.05）。基于运动的波束成形器适配程序在言语识别能力（p < 0.01）与声源定位能力（p < 0.05）的测试表现上，均显著优于传统波束成形器适配程序。研究结果表明，助听器使用者可通过搭载运动传感器、可根据使用者活动状态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。