Sound-separator device allows users to select what they hear

The technology could be particularly useful in situations where groups of people are talking at the same time, such as in shopping centres, in restaurants or the workplace.

‘This system is about giving listeners the flexibility to create their own acoustic environment,’ said research leader Dr Banu Günel, who developed the technology while at Surrey University’s Centre for Communications Systems Research.

Currently, induction-loop systems and hearing aids can be used to improve the volume of ambient sounds, but cannot target and amplify specific sounds effectively.

In response to this, Günel and colleagues developed a ‘sound-separator’ device, which can be used at the front end of induction-loop systems or assisted-listening devices to isolate sounds and improve speech intelligibility.

It uses a freestanding processor to give users the ability to select which sounds to listen to and to balance volume across an unlimited number of target sounds.

‘The listener can control the amplitude for those sounds they are choosing to listen to. If the listener wants to hear two people talking, but one is naturally much quieter than the other, they can increase the volume of the quieter talker and reduce that of the other,’ said Günel.