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Alphabet's moonshot lab is working on a device to give people superhuman hearing
Alphabet has attempted to take on some wild projects over the years, like a crop-sniffing plant buggy and fish-tracking cameras. But now, its X lab is working on a device that could give people superhuman hearing. As Insider first reported, the project, codenamed "Wolverine," is exploring the future of hearing through sensor-packed hardware. The team, members of which spoke to Insider anonymously, say they're currently trying to figure out how to isolate people's voices in a crowded room or make it easier to focus on one person when overlapping conversations are happening around you.
They've already iterated on the device multiple times, including devices that covered the whole ear and others that protruded from above the ear. These iterations have been large because the team incorporates lots of microphones into the build, but newer versions are smaller, Insider says. Multiple people from hearing technology companies have joined the team, including talent from Starkey Hearing Technologies and Eargo.
Also at 9to5Google.
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(Score: 1) by UncleBen on Friday March 05 2021, @05:53PM
...I welcome ALL competition. I may never ever buy anything the Big Evil G (BEG) makes, but they might kick the industry in the pants.
The bad thing BEG will bring is surveillance. Right now, I can wear my BlueTooth-enabled hearing aids into places that forbid cameras & phones. Once BEG's surveillance capitalism hits its stride, I'm pretty sure I'll have to lay my ears next to my phone at the checkpoints. Guess I better learn ASL if I'm ever going back into data centers.
The other thing BEG will do is normalize a lack of Food & Drug Administration (FDA, US overseer of medical devices) oversight. It's unbelievable how much paperwork goes into my ears: but then you wear 'em into a garage where a really loud compressor takes off suddenly and then you know why: my hearing aids will literally burn out before sending a signal strong enough to cause (more) damage. It's a pain, the conflict between software and Total Power Output (TPO) is something mine bounce off all the time because my remaining dynamic range (quietest to pain) is so limited. But you can bet your sweet bippy the FDA-regulated MFRs had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that TPO will always win.
Still, I welcome them to the game. If all they do is make the wearer the customer, that's a Nobel-prize improvement. The traditional model is the lab's the customer. Which, for those asking for hearing aids for the poor, is where the game is lost. The software to setup old aids is what's lost, preventing re-use.
Anyway, I for one welcome our new BEG overlords.