Hardware Design Group of C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, has developed a Digital Programmable Hearing Aid (DPHA). The hearing aids, named as TARANG, are available as body-worn and behind-the-ear types. It has a maximum gain of 80 dB, suitable for hearing impaired patients with mild, moderate and profound hearing loss. TARANG is built around an indigenously developed Application Specific IC, named as NAADA. NAADA is a 1 million gate ASIC integrating a 32-bit microprocessor and a Digital Signal Processor engine in 130nm technology.

The project is funded by Department of IT, Government of India, considering the large number of hearing impaired people in India – as per Census India Report 2001, about 5.76% of total disabled population in India are hearing impaired.

Country wide field trials have been successfully carried out in leading medical institutions and hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi), All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH, Mysore), Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Hearing Handicapped (AYJNIHH, Mumbai), Christian Medical College (CMC, Vellore), Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF, Chennai), Govt. Medical College, Calicut etc, under the guidance and supervision of professional audiologists and ENT specialists.

Features

• Programmable Gain, WDRC parameters and Filter configuration
• Multi-channel signal processing
• Mutiple Listening programs
• Low Battery Beep
• Audio indication for change of listening program
• Optional Tele-coil support
• Supports both linear and non-linear prescriptive procedures
• Indigenously developed standard software and hardware interface to replace HI_PRO/NOAH Link

A software package, SHRUTHI has also been developed to program TARANG as per the person's hearing profile. This, along with the hardware interface, provides the audiologist with the Graphical User Interface required to enter and store the client specific data, audiological data and hearing instrument data. The software also provides the audiologist an-easy-to-use platform to program/modify TARANG. With the complete ecosystem, it is very easy for the audiologist to program the Hearing Aid in the field itself. The indigenously developed interface and the communication protocol is a low-cost alternative to the other expensive programming solutions available in the market.

The complete ecosystem for the hearing aid has been developed by C-DAC right from the ASIC, the Hearing Aid, the programming software and the hardware interface. A trained person can program the Hearing Aid in the field with a computer if the patient's audiogram is available.

The Body-worn type Digital Programmable Hearing Aid is now ready for technology transfer for mass manufacture.

DOWNLOADS

Pdf brochure of DPHA :DPHA.pdf
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