In a pioneering initiative, scientists have harnessed the power of virtual reality (VR) and computer games to empower profoundly deaf children with the ability to localize sounds and interpret speech. The innovative project, named Bears – for Both Ears, focuses on children who have undergone dual cochlear implants due to being born with limited or no hearing.
Lorenzo Picinali, an audio engineer at Imperial College London and a key contributor to the project, explained, "These are children who are profoundly deaf. They require major interventions to restore their hearing and we have found that computer games can make these much more effective."
One of the VR games involves players wearing virtual reality headsets and operating a food stall, earning points for completing orders while contending with increasingly complex requests and escalating background noise. The immersive gaming experience is designed to significantly enhance the children's ability to localize sound, ultimately facilitating improved speech comprehension.
According to Picinali, the project's research has demonstrated a direct correlation between the ability to localize sound and enhanced speech understanding, particularly in noisy environments. He added, "By using computer games, we can help the person to boost their ability to localize sound and in the process to understand speech."
The project integrates various other innovative gaming concepts, including games where children aim at progressively fainter targets using acoustic cues and those requiring players to use pitch differences to aim at sound-emitting targets. Crucially, the children with implants have actively participated in the design of these games, ensuring their input and experiences have been integral to the project's development.
Unlike traditional hearing aids that simply amplify sounds, cochlear implants, when fitted behind the ears, convert air vibrations into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. However, these signals can often be disorienting and distorted, making it challenging for wearers to comprehend speech, particularly in noisy environments.
Picinali emphasized, "An implant is a lifeline for profoundly deaf children, but they are not easy to get used to. We needed to find ways to make them easier to understand the signals being sent to their brains – and training with computer games should make a vital difference. What we are doing is helping them remap their hearing systems."
The project, led by researchers from Cambridge University and Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London, in collaboration with the comprehensive clinical trials unit at University College London, aims to recruit over 300 youngsters with hearing difficulties and is anticipated to be completed within 18 months.
The anticipated impact of the Bears project extends beyond children with cochlear implants and could potentially benefit approximately 50,000 profoundly deaf children in the UK. Katarina Poole, a member of the Imperial team, highlighted, "This could make a major difference for the lives of thousands of children."
The profound implications of this groundbreaking initiative transcend geographical boundaries, offering the potential to revolutionize speech comprehension and localization of sounds for deaf children globally, thereby presenting new opportunities to enhance the quality of life for children facing profound deafness worldwide.
