Abstract

This chapter reviews how audio computers can help learners of various ages and abilities inside and outside the classroom by decreasing background noise, increasing sound clarity, reducing sensory overload, and translating speech without using a handheld device. There is no current or existing research for audio computers because the first company, IYO, will release the first of its kind in late 2024/early 2025. Therefore, this chapter aims to connect previous research on hearing aids and hearing impairment to learning and how the audio computer could aid students in hearing with fewer distractions and translating languages. Solutions for barriers to accessibility that audio computers could present for learners will also be proposed.

Key Words

Additional languages, audio computers, hearing loss, hearing impairment, IYO One, tinnitus,

Introduction

Released in May 2024, Rugolo’s TED Talk, Welcome to the World of Audio Computers (2024), was viewed 167-thousand times by July 2024. The new technology described by Rugolo has been hyped as the next most significant breakthrough since the first iPhone was released.

Watch TED (2024, May 8). Welcome to the World of Audio Computers | Jason Rugolo | TED. [Video]. (13:04 mins)

Personalized audio computers will allow people to have individualized and humanized voice interactions for all aspects of life, such as education, work, fitness, and customized coaching and assistance. Hearing is a significant concern as, according to the Government of Canada (2024), the inability to communicate effectively due to hearing loss can lead to smaller social circles and feelings of loneliness. For young people, even minor hearing impairments can affect their school performance, language skills, and emotional development. In adults, hearing loss is connected to higher levels of anxiety and depression, as well as lower income and fewer job prospects. The ability to hear is a vital component of all aspects of life.

Hearing Impairments

Hearing loss is becoming a more expansive issue than ever before. According to the WHO (2024), over 1.5 billion individuals worldwide (almost 20% of the global population) experience hearing loss, with 430 million of them having severe hearing impairment. By 2050, the number of people with severe hearing loss will exceed 700 million. Also, a systematic review published in the open-access journal BMJ Public Health suggests that video gamers, which may include 3 billion people globally, may be at risk of permanent hearing loss or tinnitus, characterized by continuous ringing or buzzing in the ears (Dillard et al., 2024). Therefore, we must take proactive measures to combat the increasing number of people with hearing impairments.

Audio computers could help people with hearing loss for various reasons: constant exposure to loud noise, age, and genetic mutations. The device could also help people who do not fit into this category and suffer from noise sensitivities in general, tinnitus, or people with Down Syndrome. They could also be more accessible by users because they remove the physical barrier of holding a handheld device. It can also translate speech into the desired language to remove a language barrier. Since this device has yet to be released, no research exists. However, using audio computers could be promising and should be further studied.

Context of Using Audio Computers

Although my profession focuses on Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) in adult education, this device could benefit everyone, regardless of gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status, in educational and real-world scenarios. However, LINC consists of adult learners who sometimes come from war-torn countries and may have had limited medical access. Also, hearing loss becomes more prevalent with age (WHO, 2024). Adult learners usually enter the classroom to learn and improve their English here in Canada. Since many newcomers sponsor family members as part of the government’s plan to reunite family members and help “the world’s most vulnerable populations through refugee resettlement” (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2023), it is vital that adults can hear and understand in the classroom and places such as the doctor’s office, schools for their children, job interviews, housing agencies, and other vital components of settlement. Audio computers could help people of all ages not only hear the other person’s words but also translate speech into any desired language so that they can access vital services as landed immigrants. There could be many benefits to ease newcomers’ transition to life in a new country if audio computers are accessible.

Audio Computer- Potential Solution?

In the 21st century, various technical handheld devices have swept the market. However, what separates this new gadget is that it is a hands-free personalized device, unlike the recently released Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, which were failures (Data Monsters, 2024). Rugolo (2024) hopes that with the audio computer, people can leave them in their pockets or at home. The audio computer uses natural language that is intuitive and personalized for the user with access to the internet and AI. As the founder emphasizes, people are no longer giving commands to a voice assistant but interacting with how two people might communicate naturally.  It can also allow the users to adjust the ambient sounds or background noise in their location, giving them choices in their soundscape. Rugolo (2024) and his company have worked in psychoacoustics for six years, building a giant audio structure resembling the Star Trek holodeck to create a “virtual auditory space” for users. These wearable earbuds will be available in the fall of 2024, and they will be a game changer for all people, including individuals with hearing, learning, and language impairments, and offer immediate AI-generated language translation.

Background Noise

In Rugolo’s Ted Talk (TED, 2024), he demonstrates how audio computers can isolate speech and remove background or any other noises. If a person without an identified disability could benefit from eliminating background noise from their hearing, what about people with a hearing impairment? A study by Brännström et al. (2018) discovered that background noise from multiple speakers makes it harder for children with normal hearing to understand and remember information; therefore, the multi-talker babble noise of other students in a classroom can interfere with practical learning. Seemingly, if background noise can interfere with learners who do not have a disability, what about learners who do? We will now look at how audio computers can help people who identify with a disability in a learning environment.

Learners with Hearing Impairments

Even though the masses of people do not identify as someone with a hearing impairment, we should look to find help for those who do. According to IYO’s LinkedIn post after the Ted Talk, others were delighted with this new device. Dr. Ram Nileshwar states the following:

As an audiologist, helping my patients hear and understand speech better for 44 years, would be a dream come true for the millions of individuals struggling to communicate better in challenging listening environments. I certainly hope there would be options for this technology to be used without voice prompts, possibly with touch-initiated actions and/or via an app on a smartphone. Can’t wait to see the delight on the face of the hard-of-hearing individual communicate better with little to no effort!” (Nileshwar, 2024).

The Center for Devices and Radiological Health states that hearing aids can not restore hearing like corrective eyewear but work by amplifying sounds, even the ones we do not want to hear, like background noise. This is because when using hearing aids, the brain needs to relearn which sounds to prioritize and which to disregard (Claso, 2021). However, in Rugolo’s Ted Talk, he asks “Q,” the AI-voice assistant, to “…enhance the sound that is right in front of me?” (10:23). Once the sounds are enhanced, Rugolo (2024) asks “Q” again to turn the sound of the baby crying down. Then the baby is no longer heard at all (10:32). This is consistent with the study done by Browning et al. (2019) when comparing OMNI, which picks up sounds from all directions equally, the fully adaptive directional hearing aids enhanced speech recognition in consistent background noise for children with hearing loss, even if they were not facing the speaker. Therefore, I hypothesize that if children and learners can hear relevant speech around them instead of background noise, they could have a more optimal learning experience and reduced cognitive load. If people could hear better with or without background noise, there could be a reduction in the number of people diagnosed with dementia, too. According to a systematic review by Yu et al. (2024), adult-onset hearing loss is often treatable with hearing aids, which may also help reduce the risk of dementia. One reason might be that the less input the brain has to decipher, the better. Humans need a delicate balance of input and output of relevant communication and speech in the brain for optimal cognitive ability.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is another form of hearing impairment. However, the ear ringing or humming is self-produced instead of an external noise. As documented in recent research analyzing approximately 50 years of data, tinnitus, often called a ringing in the ears, could impact around 750 million globally, nearly 10% of the population. According to a systematic review by JAMA Neurology, severe tinnitus affects adults and children equally (Jarach et al., 2022). As a result, people of all ages suffer from tinnitus, and the audio computer may be able to remove the ringing in their ears so that they can concentrate on the world around them, not the sound in their ears. However, no research exists on this topic now, but it should be an area of consideration in the future.

Another benefit of using audio computers and the technology used to make them is that they reduce the effort or cognitive load to hear and understand a person. A study by Beechy et al. (2019) suggests that participants with hearing loss managed effective communication regardless of their background noise level or hearing impairment. However, current speech assessments have strengths but do not consider how people interact during conversations or the impact of motivation and engagement. A person with a hearing impairment could begin to lack the motivation to engage in classroom activities if more effort is required to interact with classmates. A later study by Beech et al. (2020) found that effort is crucial for understanding how noise and hearing impairment affect communication. It goes beyond speech perception, encompassing interactive conversations where speakers adjust to maintain effective communication despite challenges. This dynamic concept shows how individuals adapt their energy to meet others’ needs, revealing its significance in assessing the impact of adverse conditions on hearing and the experiences of those with hearing impairments in daily life. With the assistive technology of audio computers, learners could expend their energies on creative and productive work rather than expending it solely on communicating with others.

Language Barrier

Another helpful feature of the audio computer is isolating sounds and translating speech simultaneously. In Rugolo’s Ted Talk (2024), one of the people speaks in Spanish, and the listener asks for the speech to be translated into English (10:46) with the background noise already removed. The IYO One translates his words without delay and with his voice. For learners who struggle with language daily, this could be revolutionary. A study by Goldschagg et al. (2023) discovered that noise affects both English First Language Learners (EL1) and English Second Language (EL2) learners, but EL2 learners experience more disruption from noise. Not only does the audio computer eliminate background noise to increase audibility, but since it can translate speech, it could also provide access to health services for the learner and their children. A review of 152 children with ASD revealed that those with English-speaking parents were more likely to have social skills and communication goals in their IEPs and received more direct service hours from state disability programs. This suggests that language barriers may hinder non-English-speaking parents from accessing necessary healthcare services for their children with ASD (St. Amant et al., 2017). If a parent of a child with a learning disability could have access to instant translation, they may be able to access more resources for them and their child.

Hands-Free vs. Hand-Held Devices

This chapter advocates the need for audio computers for all people. However, one might wonder why we already have these features, such as text-to-speech, translation, voice commands, AI assistants, etc., on our mobile devices. The reason why audio computers are more accessible is that it enables the user to free their hands. For example, say a service dog guides a student in a wheelchair to the entrance to a building. This person needs to push the wheelchair button to enter the building. They already have one hand on the leash, another possibly on the controls or wheel of the chair; how would they then have access to push the buttons on their phone? This scenario also excludes the possibility that they had no motor coordination issues. Therefore, hands-free devices could provide more accessibility features that would benefit everyone regardless of disability, but further discovery and research are needed.

Barriers to Audio Computers

Although the audio computer seems to have many benefits, it also has its challenges. The release date is the fall of 2024, so the IYO One could be delayed even further, which would further research and studies on the device’s practicality. The device costs $600 US and requires a subscription service or cellular plan. This would be a steep barrier for many users. Based on a report by Statistics Canada (2023), one in four Canadians cannot cover an unexpected $500 expense, highlighting financial vulnerability, which also increases among racialized population groups. However, the most significant barrier is that it cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution, especially for people with sensory issues, as it seems quite bulky for the ear. We also do not know the effects of having a device continuously connected to Wi-Fi in an individual’s ear as there is yet to be research on this topic. However, in Pall’s (2018) study, seven adverse effects are consistently associated with Wi-Fi and other EMF exposures. Further research is needed in this area.

Instructional Strategies

Although an array of strategies is optimal for learning, incorporating the five design strategies is always helpful. Firstly, as an instructor in adult education, I would conduct a needs analysis and ask the learners about their learning style preferences and if they require additional support. However, it is essential to note that since one out of five to one out of ten (WHO,2024) people will have a hearing disability, a person(s) with this impairment will most likely be in a classroom. Therefore, it would be best to plan for this scenario in advance by, for example, telling all students to ask their audio computer to remove the background noise (construction, air conditioning vent, etc.) while in class for a more optimal experience. One then includes this in the design of writing in the lesson plan, as well as the instructions an instructor would give students during a task, writing on the plan, “Remind students to turn off background noise on their audio computer while different groups are talking to reduce multi-talker babble.” In the development phase, the instructor would advise students that they are about to practice pronunciation and may need to isolate the partner’s speech during the practice dialogue. During the implementation phase, the instructor could walk around or join different breakout rooms, inquire about their soundscape, and offer suggestions for audio quality depending on the task. Lastly, during the evaluation, instructors could receive feedback from their learners on what they discovered, tips for tweaking their soundscape, and discuss how it aids their auditory quality and comprehension of the task. It could be viable for many learners to wear audio computers in the future.

Conclusion

As noted throughout this chapter, no existing research on this topic exists. However, the IYO One could become the norm in a majority of classrooms throughout the world, just as laptops, cellphones, and tablets are. Future researchers would look at content comprehension, the correlation between brain activity and hearing, and how immediate and accurate speech translation increases income using audio computers inside and outside the classroom. Some possible adverse effects to research could include Wi-Fi in the ear, overdependence on the audio computer, and the psychological effects of being “wired” for 16 hours of the day. Concludingly, the IYO One could be the way forward, and hand-held devices could be a way of the past.

References

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