A computer game is raising childrens’ awareness of diabetes.
Now, using smartphones, a research team from Washington University has developed a low-cost hearing screening system especially suitable for infants.
Microphone probes are connected to standard earphones and coupled with an app. Two different tones are sent into the ear at the same time.
All being well, a third tone is created by vibrating hair cells in the ear. The app can detect this faint sound as algorithms remove background noise from the microphone’s recording.
A solution that could be useful for identifying deafness in the developing world.
A battery-free hearing aid might then prove handy too, while tinnitus noises could be measured using infrared technology. Ear-ly good!
