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@ U S T . H K
Conventional hearing aids (left) amplify both targeted and background speech while HKUST’s noise-
separation technology (right) allows hearing aid users to focus on audio signals they want to hear.
For the millions of people around the
world who suffer from hearing loss, sound
can be restored through a revolutionary
audio technology delivered through a
smart phone at a fraction of the price
of traditional hearing aids, thanks to
knowledge being transferred from
HKUST research.
BREAKING
THE SOUND BARRIER
PROF RICHARD SO
Professor of Industrial Engineering
and Logistics Management
Our uniqueness is in
our algorithms that
mimic the brain’s capability
to pick up and handle
multiple sounds
that will manage the sound they
hear through their own earphones
or customized blue-tooth earphones.
A next step is to develop a state-of-
the-art behind-the-ear model. “The
challenge now is to miniaturize the
technology to a portable size,” said Prof So.
Incus has plans to collaborate with a
Hong Kong manufacturer specializing in
medical equipment. Prototypes are being
developed for submission to both the US
and China Food and
Drug Administrations.
Prof So is confident
Incus can reduce the
price for a hearing
device significantly,
possibly by as much
as 90%, through the
mobile app approach.
Incus won first
prize in the start-up
category of the “New
World Cup” First
Qianhai Shenzhen-
Hong Kong Youth
I nnova t i on and
Entrepreneurship Competition, while
Calvin received first prize in the Cross-
strait, Hong Kong andMacao Innovation
and Entrepreneurship Competition.
The technology is underpinned by
Prof So’s long-established research on
audio perceptions in noise and binaural
hearing, as well as computational
ergonomics for enhancing the human
experience in sight and sound.
Statistics indicate that the application
of such research could help many people.
In China alone there are an estimated
72 million people with severe or
moderate hearing impairment, of whom
92%are not using any form of hearing aids,
according to a 2015
survey by the China
Rehabilitation Center
for Hearing and
Speech Impairment.
With the assistance
of HKUST’s Technology
Transfer Center and
Entrepreneurship
Center, the patented
technology has now
been licensed to Incus
Company Limited,
founded by Prof So
and Calvin.
One novel aspect
of the commercialization of the technology
involves an innovative mobile app, which
allows users to test their hearing online,
then download the customized software
Prof Richard So and his MPhil student,
Calvin Zhang, have come up with a
new way of separating target signals –
for example, speech – from irritating
background noise, enhancing clarity
in difficult listening environments. In
comparison, conventional hearing aids,
lacking the noise separation function,
convert sound waves into digital signals
and amplify all of them before feeding
themback into the ear.
The HKUST advance is built on an
algorithmic framework, combining pattern
recognition and binaural directional sound
technology. In a similar way to the brain’s
ability to cope with even tiny differences
in sound, the algorithms capture and
label audio signals according to their
acoustical attributes, including frequency,
tempo and amplitude. Targeted signals
are effectively separated from other
undesired signals. In practice, users can
select and amplify the sound they want to
hear to the optimal frequency or intensity.
HKUST’s customized hearing aid allows
users to manage the sound they hear.
Prof Richard So (left) with
his student Calvin Zhang.
