Oticon's "artificially intelligent" hearing aid

Oticon claims that their new Syncro hearing aid is the first of its kind to use real "Artificial Intelligence" technology to process sound in the same way that the human brain does. Which is great if you're a little hard of hearing, though you know with all that AI in there it's only a matter of time until your hearing aid becomes self-aware and decides to only let you hear what it wants you to hear.

[larcher @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

.. an inhibitor chip, so that the artificial intelligence doesn't leak into your brain, make you crazy, and turn you into a criminal mastermind with superhuman hearing.

[Nate Friedman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

thats only needed if the hearing aids have arms coming out of them

[Ed White @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

AI for hard of hearing, what about bluetooth or IRDt to transmit data to hearing aid, eg: stethoscopes. B&O already have the stethoscope, what we need is someone to put it ( receivor) into a CIC. Anybody?

[Ed White @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

AI for hard of hearing, what about bluetooth or IRDt to transmit data to hearing aid, eg: stethoscopes. B&O already have the stethoscope, what we need is someone to put it ( receivor) into a CIC. Anybody?

[Dave Copithorne @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

Ed -- take a look at www.soundid.com. Their technology gets at what you are talking about. For starters they are using Bluetooth with their own hearing enhancement technology to improve cellphone signals for people including hearing-impaired. Sound ID was started by Rodney Perkins who started a hearing aid company, ReSound Corp. which is now GM Resound, one of the 7 biggest hearing aid companies.