This project is focused on the translation and assessment of bilaterial signal processing algorithms for inclusion in sound processing technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.
The binaural beamformer, developed by the HEARing CRC, is designed to reduce interfering noise that arrives from different spatial locations to the main talker of interest, whilst preserving spatial cues and high sound quality.
It uses signals from both sides of the head to create a narrower “beam of interest” for which signals are retained than is possible by using directional microphones working in isolation on each side of the head.
The video above was recorded in a cafeteria at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney Australia. It demonstrates the differences between three microphone processing methods: omnidirectional, traditional directional (cardioid) microphone, and the HEARing CRC binaural beamformer.
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