To encapsulate and synthesize some of the wide range of topics you covered with aplomb, I do wonder if a local LLM hooked to a high-powered processor and sensitive microphone could tokenize and then summarize the audio around you, so you only have to read the highlights of what you might have missed with real-time, unimpaired audio frequency detection. This doesn't allow proper appreciation of music, human singing, creepy movies, white water noise or birdsong, but it might make future development of cochlear implants a more exciting avenue to keep tabs on.
Actually, you can already do this with just an iPhone. There is a bit of latency, but you can enable a live caption feature that works fairly well as long as there isn’t a lot of crosstalk or ambient noise. They also have accessibility features like having it actively listen for things like doorbells or someone saying your name.
I also have an external mic (it’s a small clip-on type thing) that I can hand to someone if we’re out eating in a noisy restaurant. They can clip it on their lapel and I can hear everything they say—even if they drop their voice to a near whisper. It’s great for when I’m only talking to one person, but offers diminishing returns if I’m out with a group. I mean they could pass the mic around but that becomes cumbersome and somewhat embarrassing,
A lot of companies are developing hearing-focused devices as hardware extensions for some cloud-based AI model. OpenAI has their top secret device that is rumored to be shaped like a hockey puck. Next year Apple is rumored to be releasing an AI-enabled set of AirPods Pro that will add cameras to the existing feature. I’m not entirely sure what (or if any) features would be useful for my specific situation, but I’m keeping an eye out for it.
As it is the existing AirPods Pro are actually pretty good hearing aids. I use them most of the time when I’m around the house or out running errands simply because the media controls are so much easier compared to my actual hearing aids. I’m really happy Apple has been pursuing these features because they have actively iterated and made dramatic improvements already and they’ve only been working on this for two generations. It’s also good to have a meaningful competitor to real hearing aids. I’m hoping it sparks some innovation from them and maybe lower prices as well.
It’s great you’ve found various solutions to reduce the social impact. I hadn’t realised there was so much activity in this space. Not only a threat to sales of overpriced hearing-aids, but I suspect cochlear implant manufacturers will also need to up their game. Offloading enhanced connectivity and applications to a smartphone cuts down on the never-ending issue of replacing batteries. But it does also require more onerous medical device approval. Many consumer app developers want to steer clear of such regulatory oversight.
Solid start. Like the format. Will keep an eye out for this 👌
Thanks!
To encapsulate and synthesize some of the wide range of topics you covered with aplomb, I do wonder if a local LLM hooked to a high-powered processor and sensitive microphone could tokenize and then summarize the audio around you, so you only have to read the highlights of what you might have missed with real-time, unimpaired audio frequency detection. This doesn't allow proper appreciation of music, human singing, creepy movies, white water noise or birdsong, but it might make future development of cochlear implants a more exciting avenue to keep tabs on.
Actually, you can already do this with just an iPhone. There is a bit of latency, but you can enable a live caption feature that works fairly well as long as there isn’t a lot of crosstalk or ambient noise. They also have accessibility features like having it actively listen for things like doorbells or someone saying your name.
I also have an external mic (it’s a small clip-on type thing) that I can hand to someone if we’re out eating in a noisy restaurant. They can clip it on their lapel and I can hear everything they say—even if they drop their voice to a near whisper. It’s great for when I’m only talking to one person, but offers diminishing returns if I’m out with a group. I mean they could pass the mic around but that becomes cumbersome and somewhat embarrassing,
A lot of companies are developing hearing-focused devices as hardware extensions for some cloud-based AI model. OpenAI has their top secret device that is rumored to be shaped like a hockey puck. Next year Apple is rumored to be releasing an AI-enabled set of AirPods Pro that will add cameras to the existing feature. I’m not entirely sure what (or if any) features would be useful for my specific situation, but I’m keeping an eye out for it.
As it is the existing AirPods Pro are actually pretty good hearing aids. I use them most of the time when I’m around the house or out running errands simply because the media controls are so much easier compared to my actual hearing aids. I’m really happy Apple has been pursuing these features because they have actively iterated and made dramatic improvements already and they’ve only been working on this for two generations. It’s also good to have a meaningful competitor to real hearing aids. I’m hoping it sparks some innovation from them and maybe lower prices as well.
It’s great you’ve found various solutions to reduce the social impact. I hadn’t realised there was so much activity in this space. Not only a threat to sales of overpriced hearing-aids, but I suspect cochlear implant manufacturers will also need to up their game. Offloading enhanced connectivity and applications to a smartphone cuts down on the never-ending issue of replacing batteries. But it does also require more onerous medical device approval. Many consumer app developers want to steer clear of such regulatory oversight.