Research is underway to use Virtual Reality games to help children with twin cochlea implants to improve their ability to understand speech and isolate sounds. 

Cochlear implants, unlike hearing aids that only amplify sounds, convert air vibrations into electrical signals, which are then sent to the brain and perceived as sound. These are particularly beneficial for profoundly deaf children for whom hearing aids are less effective. However, the electrical signals can be confusing and disorienting, leading to highly distorted sounds for the user. Localizing sounds and understanding conversations in noisy environments remain challenging with a cochlear implant, and some users find the adjustment to the sounds it produces difficult.
 

“These are children who are profoundly deaf,” said audio engineer Lorenzo Picinali, a scientist on the project from Imperial College London. “They require major interventions to restore their hearing and we have found that computer games can make these much more effective.”

In one game, a player – wearing a virtual reality headset – operates a food stall and wins points for each order that is completed. The tempo hots up and the player receives increasingly elaborate requests from cartoon characters. These are fired at them at faster and faster from different directions. At the same time, background noises become louder and more confusing. “It’s very challenging but the game improves a child’s ability to localise sound and that, in turn, helps them understand speech,” added Picinali.

Find out more about Both Ears Training Package – Optimising hearing for children and young people with bilateral cochlear implants (nihr.ac.uk)