SBIR-STTR Award

Recently there has been a push to get otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing into adult hearing-conservation programs, because the early stages of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and susceptibility to NIHL, can be detected with OAEs. OAEs are sounds made by healthy inner ears in response to acoustic stimulation and are measured in the ear canal with a miniature microphone. One impediment to OAE testing on a large scale, such as in military HCPs, is the lack of a high-quality, reliable, and cheap ear-probe, which houses the miniature microphone and sound transducers. The technical merit and feasibility of a new OAE ear probe will be evaluated, and technical specifications drawn up. The new probe will perform at least as well, if not better, than the leading ear probes (ILO and ER10C) on a wide range of acoustic and ergonomic properties important to OAE testing. The trade-offs among various acoustical properties will be evaluated, allowing for the best choice of parameters for use in HCPs. The new probe will also have characteristics necessary for pure-tone audiometry screening and middle-ear reflectance, both of which are necessary - along with OAEs - for an all-in-one HCP screening system.

Benefit:
The benefits and the potential commercial application of the finalized new probe set are immediate - to the hearing conservation program as well as to the civilian health care community. Years of research in confirming test methods in preventing NIHL can be realized for the military hearing conservation program (HCP). The OAE measurement has become part of standard hearing test battery and for universal newborn hearing screening program. Improved probes for OAE measurements can improve the performance of the existing OAE devices. The proposed probe set will eliminate several sources of instability and the inaccuracy in OAE measurements, hence improving the OAE test results. The probe set will be easy to handle making good probe fitting easier. In addition, the probe set structure will protect the probe from unintended damage in a busy testing environment, thus further lowering the replacement and repair cost.

Keywords:
noise-induced hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, TEOAE, middle ear power analysis, ear probe, SFOAE, Hearing Conservation Program, DPOAE, probe calibration

OAE has proved to be an important measurement for hearing conservation programs. OAEs are sounds made by healthy inner ears in response to acoustic stimulation and are measured in the ear canal with a miniature microphone. One impediment to OAE testing on a large scale, such as in military hearing conservation programs, is the lack of a high-quality, reliable ear-probes which house the miniature microphone and sound transducers. This proposal demonstrates the feasibility for development of a hearing conservation specific ear probe system. The new probe will perform better than the leading ear probes (ILO and ER10C) in a wide range of acoustic and ergonomic properties important to OAE testing. The trade-offs among various acoustical properties were evaluated in phase I and models of receivers and microphones illustrated key performance limitations. Each transducer, electrical, and acoustical limitation for an all-in-one probe will be systematically improved. Improved transducers, electronics, and probe enclosures will perfectly address the needs of the Naval HCP. Prototypes of various probe designs have been presented during Phase I. The prototypes will be perfected, thereby addressing the Navy hearing conservation programs current problems with existing equipment. Based on our expertise, our previous work and technical plan, clearly demonstrated that a superior probe can be developed which can both measure OAE and administer middle ear power reflectance and pure tone stimuli intelligently, within the scope of STTR phase II funding.

Benefit:
Benefits

Keywords:
hearing conservation, hearing loss, OAE measurement, Instrumentation, otoacoustic emissions, high-frequency OAE, OAE probe