Scientists have recruited an unusual ally in their efforts to help children overcome profound deafness. They are using computer games to boost the children’s ability to localise sounds and understand speech. The project is known as Bears – for Both Ears – and it is aimed at youngsters who have been given twin cochlea implants because they were born with little or no hearing.
“These are children who are profoundly deaf,” said audio engineer Lorenzo Picinali, a scientist on the project from Imperial College London . “They require major interventions to restore their hearing and we have found that computer games can make these much more effective.” In one game, a player – wearing a virtual reality headset – operates a food stall and wins points for each order that is completed.
The tempo hots up and the player receives increasingly elaborate requests from cartoon characters. These are fired at them at faster and faster from different directions. At the same time, background noises become louder and more confusing.
“It’s very challenging but the game improves a child’s ability to localise sound and that, in turn, helps them understand speech,” added Picinali. “Our research has shown that the better you are at localising a sound – in pinpointing the location of a noise – then you also get better understanding what someone is saying to you. Their speech becomes clearer in noisy situations.
“By using computer games we can help the person to boost th.
