Use of Airpod Pros as Assistive Technology

Launched by THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS · Feb 17, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how well AirPod Pro 2nd generation headphones can help people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss understand speech, especially in noisy environments. The researchers will compare the AirPods with other assistive devices like traditional hearing aids and wireless microphones to see which one works best for recognizing speech. They are also interested in how much effort it takes to listen with these devices and what participants think about each option in terms of ease and satisfaction.

To be part of this study, participants should be adults aged 18 to 60 who speak English and have mild-to-moderate hearing loss, confirmed by a hearing test. Importantly, they should not have used hearing aids before. During a single 2-hour lab session, participants will listen to sentences through the different devices and repeat what they hear while their reaction times and changes in pupil size are measured. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to gather important information about the effectiveness of modern technology in assisting those with hearing challenges.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18 to 60 years.
• • Native English speakers.
• • Mild-to-moderate hearing loss confirmed by a pure-tone hearing test (average hearing threshold screening 25 to 55 dB HL across octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz).
• • Individuals with no prior hearing aid experience.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Normal hearing.
• • Hearing loss worse than moderate.
• • Neurological, psychiatric, or ophthalmological conditions that might alter the pupil response.
• • Non-native English speakers.
• • Individuals with prior hearing aid experience.