Boas and Sen seek to help people with hearing loss who struggle especially in noisy environments
By Devin Hahn and Natalie Lett
The cocktail party problem is a phenomenon that makes it difficult to separate competing sounds in noisy environments. And it’s a big issue for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide with hearing loss.
At Boston University’s College of Engineering, researchers Kamal Sen and David Boas are combining expertise from neuroscience, engineering, photonics, and computer science to better understand how our brains sift through different noises. They’re using the knowledge to refine a new algorithm—inspired by the brain’s sound filtering approach—that could one day be used to power better, more effective hearing aids.
In the video linked below, BU student Natalie Lett (COM’27) explains Sen and Boas’ research—and joins their study, testing a pioneering technology that lets them watch her brain’s activity while she tries to tune into some sounds, and shut out others.