Plextek, a product development consultancy based in Cambridge, England, has developed technology that may allow anyone to detect early signs of tinnitus. Knowing that the condition is at an early stage can help prevent it from growing into something more debilitating. These days a person has to visit an audiologist and use expensive equipment to confirm that tinnitus is developing, but Plextek believes its technology can do the same using a pair of headphones and a smartphone app.
It works by detecting auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), that develop in response to audio queues, using electrodes built into the headsets. The company developed both over the ear headphones as well as in-ear buds that can both record AEPs, and has shown that existing commercial headphones and buds can be easily modified to integrate its technology.
AEPs are electrical signals produced by the cochlea that travel via a complex pathway to the brain. In patients with tinnitus, these can generate without an external audio stimulus, so detecting them while there is no sound can be indicative of the onset of tinnitus. The electrodes within the headphones and ear buds are able to gather enough of these signals for a computer to isolate and process them to detect signs of tinnitus.
Here’s a short Plextek video presenting its technology:
Technology info page: Tinnitus Detection System…
Via: Plextek…