For many people who have hearing problems it is noisy environments, such as busy restaurants, that are their main problem. Hearing aids help somewhat, but even the most advanced ones can’t amplify only single individuals that the user is talking to when there are other speakers nearby.
At CES 2020 we ran into OrCam, an Israeli company that has developed technology that combines computer vision with audio modulation to know who the intended speaker the user is trying to listen to and to only amplify that person’s speech. This is a smart reworking of a similar technology in OrCam’s other products that use cameras to help visually impaired people understand what’s around them.
Here’s our visit to the company’s booth where one of our own got to try out how the OrCam Hear device works:
Link to the product preview page: OrCam Hear
Flashbacks: OrCam My Eye Helps Patients with Low Vision to Read Text and Recognize Objects in Everyday Life;