Eurecat holds a local stakeholder event exploring emerging audiology trends

The Eurecat technology centre, GuestXR coordinator, hosted the project event “Audiology trends: New methods for diagnostic and rehabilitation and use of emerging technologies” at their Barcelona headquarters on December 16th, 2024. This event explored the transformative impact of AI, VR, and other technologies on hearing loss diagnosis and rehabilitation.

The event began with a presentation by Umut Sayin, Head of the Audio Line at Eurecat’s Multimedia Technologies Unit. Sayin gave an overview on Eurecat capabilities in audiology and explained one of GuestXR project use cases, aiming at enhancing accessibility in Virtual Reality of people with hearing loss.

Joanna Luberadzka, Researcher at Eurecat’s Multimedia Technologies Unit, then delved into presenting the work done in GuestXR improving communication in acoustically challenging environments, showcasing research that could improve daily interactions for those with hearing impairments.

Building on this, Waldo Nogueira, from the Hearing Technology Group of Hannover Medical School, Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, and Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, presented advanced methods for improving speech perception, introducing concepts such as deep latent fusion layers and new stimulation techniques to enhance binaural hearing capabilities.

Gerard Encina, Lecturer and Scientific Coordinator at the Department of Audiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic, shifted the focus to precision audiology, linking cellular damage to patient phenotyping.

The event continued with a presentation from Gerard Llorach, Technical Director at YesWeSail, who illustrated the potential of virtual reality in audiology rehabilitation, demonstrating how immersive environments can simulate real-world acoustic scenarios to benefit both patients and clinicians.

Marti Baig, R&D Engineer at Amplifon’s Microson, concluded the presentations by showcasing lines of research in auditory care, including technological advancements that bridge clinical needs with modern solutions for assessment and rehabilitation.

The event also featured a roundtable discussion on the future of audiology, fostering collaboration among experts to address emerging challenges in the field. The discussions reflected on the challenges posed by aging populations, increased headphone use, and prolonged exposure to noisy environments, highlighting innovative solutions to redefine the future of auditory care.