Making it work as a selective sound cancellation device would be amazing in open office environments.<p>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.<p>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?
>“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.”<<p>As a hearing-aid dispenser for over 10 years that was my biggest hurdle to get my clients to overcome.<p>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?}<p>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.<p>Technology like is discussed in the OP would be revolutionary.
Amazing, and I need one of these!<p>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.<p>I really hope these become widely commercialized. I'd like one.
before yall get too ahead of yourselves:<p>"The current version of the hearing aid, which involved direct implants into the brain, would be unsuitable for mainstream use"
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?
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.
Hearing enhancement for everyone is easy with current tech.<p>But people won't do it because it looks like you're disabled.<p>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.<p>Strange world.