A new system capable of reading lips with remarkable accuracy even when speakers are wearing face masks could help create a new generation of hearing aids. An international team of engineers and computing scientists developed the technology, which pairs radio-frequency sensing with artificial intelligence for the first time to identify lip movements. The system, when integrated with conventional hearing aid technology, could help tackle the 'cocktail party effect', a common shortcoming of traditional hearing aids. Currently, hearing aids assist hearing-impaired people by amplifying all ambient sounds around them, which can be helpful in many aspects of everyday life. However, in noisy situations such as cocktail parties, hearing aids' broad spectrum of amplification can make it difficult for users to focus on specific sounds, like conversation with a particular person. One potential solution to the cocktail party effect is to make 'smart' hearing aids, which combine conventional audio amplification with a second device to collect additional data for improved performance. While other researchers have had success in using cameras to aid with lip reading, collecting video footage of people without their explicit consent raises concerns for individual privacy.
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