Bluetooth tool boosts headset

A bluetooth development tool has helped

to produce a headset for the hard of hearing which employs wireless communications to link an in-ear module with a remote microphone.

The xIDE software development kit from Cambridge Consultants allowed Sound ID to eliminate the need for a separate microprocessor in its in-ear headset. They did this by exploiting the 'free' processor that comes as part of the bluetooth chip to control the overall hearing system. This resulted reduced cost and power consumption power consumption.

Sound ID's Personal Sound System looks like a small bluetooth mobile phone headset. Inside the device is a digital signal processor (DSP) that can be configured by an audiologist, or the user, to amplify sound based on individual preferences. The bluetooth capability allows the ear module to link with a remote microphone that can be positioned to improve signal-to-noise ratio. It also acts as a standard bluetooth headset for a mobile phone, automatically switching from continuous amplification mode to hands-free mode when a call is in progress.