Research

Research Areas

Overview

CRC HEAR works with its partners to conduct specialist research leading to innovative new hearing technology products including multichannel cochlear implants with increased capabilities, totally implantable neuroelectric prostheses, as well as intelligent hearing aids for those with mild and moderate hearing losses.

CRC HEAR has specialised wet labs and imaging facilities for microdevelopment of advanced electrode arrays and biomedical testing in Melbourne, as well as commercial laboratories for cochlear implant and hearing aid development in Sydney.

CRC HEAR’s speech processing research is concentrated on improving hearing in background noise; increasing the enjoyment of music; and improving perception of tonal languages. CRC HEAR has developed the SPEAR3 speech research system, a powerful DSP-based processor and research programming platform for development of new unimodal, bimodal, and bilateral speech coding strategies. SPEAR3 has been licenced to major international research centres. Working with its industry partners, CRC HEAR has developed a series of innovative products for the specialist markets of cochlear implants and hearing aids.

CRC HEAR has also conducted innovative research leading to the world’s first acoustic shock limiting device, the SoundShield, for use in protecting the hearing of call centre operators.

CRC HEAR’s clinical group has developed comprehensive audiological testing materials and protocols available to clinicians working with hearing-impaired adults and children. These products aim to enhance benefits for users of hearing devices, increase the clinician’s capacity to work with very young infants, and reduce health care service delivery costs.

CRC HEAR unites the capabilities and infrastructure of our individual core and support parties into a multidisciplinary research force with broad research and clinical expertise, as well as successful track records of our research staff in achieving patentable, commercial or clinical outcomes in signal processing, speech science and psychophysics, electronics and communication engineering, clinical medicine, surgery, audiology, rehabilitation, modelling, implantable technology, biomedical research and paediatrics.

The Centre also provides innovative postgraduate training incorporating management and IP skills, and through our Workshop program is expanding professional training in the field, with particular reference to Asia Pacific.

To ensure that Centre research leads to commercial or clinical outcomes, applications and activities that give real communication benefits to end users, support the activities of our commercial partners, and provide a real financial return to CRC HEAR, our commercial and technology transfer is managed through HearWorks Pty Limited, CRC HEAR’s commercial agent. HearWorks currently has equity holdings in two spin-off companies, Dynamic Hearing Pty Limited and Microphones Pty Limited.

The research is broken down into three key areas:

 


  Date Created: Thursday February 19 2004
  Last Updated:  Tuesday July 29 2008
  Authorised By: Robert Cowan
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