TRL-4

The development is designed for objective diagnosis of hearing, testing of newborns and children, conducting mass preventive examinations.

Market and Economic Attractiveness

The market and economic attractiveness of the device lies in the widespread introduction (in each maternity hospital) of a new program of universal audiological screening of newborns into medical practice, and the production of the necessary broadband acoustic ear echo spectrometers at Ukrainian enterprises. This is important because every three newborns out of a thousand have hearing problems, even though their families may not have the disease. However, if these problems are detected with a broadband acoustic ear echo spectrometer at the age of up to 6 months after the birth of a child, then with proper treatment and care a healthy child with no hearing problems will develop. On the contrary, a child with undetected hearing impairments will lag behind the mental and speech development of peers and will be supported by the state in specialized preschool and school institutions for children with hearing impairments.

In addition, the efficiency of the device development is determined by the fact that the broadband acoustic echo spectrometer contains a sound conductor, which eliminates the need for an additional pneumatic system, as in its analogue – the impedance meter. In this case, the most important technical characteristics (bandwidth, diagnostic accuracy) of a broadband acoustic echo spectrometer exceed the similar characteristics of existing analogues.

Main Advantages (Strengths) of the Device

  • The device is tube-shaped and flexible, with the calculated length of sound duct. The diameter is equal to the diameter of the external auditory canal.  The air pressure in the ear canal and ear equal to atmospheric, therefore simplifying the diagnostic procedure, demonstrating increased newborns’ safety, and that it can be done in real-time.
  • The program for audiological hearing screening of newborns which allows defining the quantitative parameters of an auditory system condition instead of similar qualitative ones are developed. In comparison to з https://aurora.ua/ru/sluh/diagnostika-i-sluhoprotezirovanie/impedansometrija.htm, the developed device does not have a pneumatic system, which allows it to be used for a newborn hearing screening.

Main Characteristics

Operating frequency of a broadband acoustic echo spectrometer1000 Hz
The average time pressure on the eardrum of the middle ear2 Pa
The pulse frequency band is level0,707
from the maximum667-1334 Hz
The duration of the pulse emitted by the phone1,5 ms
Phone settings
- the diameter of the work surface20 mm
- sensitivity700 Pа/А
- electrical impedance module150 Ohm

Marketing Readiness

  • Laboratory sample has been tested
  • Requirements for engineering resources have been defined
  • Choice of items to produce and ones to order has been made
  • Partner environment has been defined
  • Patent applications have been filed Utility Estimate has been performed

Intellectual property protection

Developer Information

Research team FEL-01-01. Medical Acoustics

What is Needed to Promote the Device

Funding is needed for the development of experimental and industrial samples of new generation diagnostic audiological equipment, and their introduction into industrial production.