While it’s true that struggling to hear speech in noise is one of the main drivers for people to obtain a hearing instrument, Sebastian believes that solving that one issue isn’t the whole story. “Our efforts are dedicated to providing a hearing device that supports you throughout the entire day, addressing not just isolated challenging situations. It is designed to meet all your requirements and enhance your quality of life. This commitment is also why we emphasize conversation rather than mere comprehension. Facilitating effortless communication encompasses a much wider scope than simply achieving intelligibility in noisy environments”.

AI-powered personalisation puts the user in control

The Signia Assistant within the Signia app provides virtual fitting support, empowering users to manage their own hearing experience.

You make a simple statement, such as ‘I don’t understand well’ or ‘my own voice doesn’t sound right’, your hearing devices already know what the situation is, and the app can provide a new setting to try.

This is the role of artificial intelligence. Sebastian explains, “Our extensive testing, combined with several years of experience working with AI and the Signia Assistant, allows us to integrate data from research and learn directly from users. We have already identified solutions that have benefited hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide facing similar challenges. When a user expresses satisfaction with a particular solution, the system recognises its effectiveness, enabling us to make it available to others. As more individuals utilize the system, its performance continues to improve.”

Hearing care professionals can provide an excellent first fit in the shop, but the real test is the problems users face in real life.

The app provides support while a person is in the situation and the need for fine-tuning in later appointments is reduced because people got a solution that worked for them earlier.

Own voice processing: A foundation of comfort

How your own voice sounds is a vital factor for the success of a hearing device. When people wear a hearing aid for the first time and speak, it can be a shock or irritating because their own voice suddenly sounds reverberant or boomy compared to what they have become used to.

For people with hearing impairment, controlling their own voice can be challenging. Signia provides a feature where in the first milliseconds of speaking, the hearing aid detects your voice and adjusts all gain settings toward a more natural voice instantaneously. Then, when others speak, the sound is processed differently to provide the right amplification.

“You might think it’s all about increasing understanding of speech,” says Sebastian, “but we know that even with very strong directionality and noise reduction alone, people weren’t entirely happy.”

“Own voice processing technology can detect your own voice and enhances the sound to make it comfortable and natural, while making other voices more intelligible”

Binaural beamforming: Precision detection

Sebastian explains how beams are used within the microphone to hear different sounds.

“Every person’s voice has an acoustic DNA from the microphone’s view—the sound from your mouth has very special characteristics. To detect your own voice, we use binaural beamforming.

“During initial fitting, we do a small training where the patient is asked to count to ten. The hearing aid detects and reads the DNA of your own voice. Later, when you speak—whether loud or soft—we can detect that this sound profile can only come from your mouth.”

For reliable detection of a person’s voice binaural microphones are required, but narrower beams can be incorporated for specific frequency areas and multiple beams can be used at the same time, all to provide high precision sound recognition.

Split processing: Maintaining spatial awareness

Our brains monitor what happens around us continuously and this is why people don’t feel comfortable if you disregard background information – your brain wants to actively monitor sounds whether they are relevant or not.

Split processing helps your hearing device to understand your needs, as Sebastian tells us: “The traditional way to improve understanding is strong noise reduction, but if we discard all information from the background, people feel uncomfortable. It’s not a natural way to hear sound.”

Your hearing helps you maintain awareness of what is happening around you and your brain needs contrast to distinguish different noise sources. “We’ve done studies in neuroscience to inform our technology development. When someone has hearing loss the hair cells inside the ear are damaged and they lose the resolution to distinguish certain noise sources. Sound information is then blurred together and it’s hard to distinguish between separate sound sources and their location.”

“With completely independent processing for front and back hemispheres, we change the sound of both, enabling people to navigate whatever situation they might be in, and choose where they focus. Having that choice is transformational for hearing aid users.”

Real-time conversation enhancement

Signia’s combination of technologies means that when you speak, your own voice sounds natural, and if something happens around you, you have full awareness. The third element in this powerful fusion of technologies is real time conversation enhancement (RTCE).

“We have several beams that detect voices in a certain proximity – typically the distance around a table,” says Sebastian. “Multiple speakers are detected and tracked by these beams so you can still move your head and behave naturally while the technology enhances the intelligibility of these voices.

“This is made for complex noise situations, like in a busy restaurant, a party or a busy family gathering. Most people we’re talking to are in our visual field, therefore RTCE works in the front hemisphere. With split processing, you won’t miss what a waiter or someone behind you says. You can detect another voice and focus on it.”

These features combat the isolation people with hearing loss often report in noisy places, which is an important benefit for users and a significant factor in delivering the improved quality of life that Signia strives for. It enables you to be aware of your surroundings, understand multiple conversation partners, and speak comfortably in your own voice.

The future of hearing technology

Signia maintains its aim to approach hearing loss in a holistic way. “The technology that is available now is now mature enough to overcome things we couldn’t for years. We have made a difference in how the hearing aid understands the world and gives the right amplification and sound. This has a big impact on the user, reducing time to feel the benefits and acclimatise to a new device.”

Sebastian concludes, “In recent years, we have witnessed significant advancements in hearing aids that have transformed how they are perceived. With the emergence of new technologies that we are currently working with, I am confident that we are entering an exciting era. Hearing aids are poised to become increasingly desirable and valued by a broader audience.”