"Translation from the Japanese language edition: Sound-based assistive technology by Tohru Ifukube."

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Preface; Contents; 1 Basis for Sound-Based Assistive Technology; Abstract; 1.1 Background of Assistive Technology; 1.1.1 Towards a Super-Aged Society; 1.1.1.1 Autonomous Driving Intelligent Systems to Assist Elderly Drivers; 1.1.1.2 "Senior Cloud" Using Knowledge, Experiences and Skills of the Elderly; 1.1.1.3 Future Prediction Expected from Assistive Technologies; 1.2 Roles of Sound in Assistive Technology; 1.3 Structure and Functions of the Auditory System; 1.3.1 External Ears; 1.3.2 Middle Ear; 1.3.3 Mechanism of Frequency Analysis in the Internal Ear.

1.3.4 Hair Cells and the Auditory Nerve System; 1.4 Mechanism of Speech Production; 1.4.1 Structure of the Speech Organ; 1.4.2 Resonances Inside the Vocal Tract; 1.4.3 Speech Production Model; 1.5 Maximum Transmitted Information by Human Senses; 1.5.1 Category Decision Test and Channel Capacity; 1.5.2 Maximum Transmitted Information for Multiple Stimulation; 1.6 Recognition Time Difference Among the Tactile, Auditory and Visual Senses; 1.7 Language Area and the Speech Chain in the Human Brain; References; 2 Sound Signal Processing for Auditory Aids; Abstract.

2.1 Kinds and Characteristics of Hearing Impairment; 2.2 Auditory Characteristics of the Hearing Impaired; 2.2.1 Recruitment; 2.2.2 Combination Tones; 2.2.3 Speech Articulation Curve; 2.3 Assistive Methods Using Hearing Aids; 2.3.1 Presently Available Kinds of Hearing Aids; 2.4 Digital Hearing Aids; 2.4.1 Speech Processing for Digital Hearing Aids; 2.4.1.1 Multiband Amplification Compression; 2.4.1.2 Recruitment Compensation; 2.4.1.3 Automatic Gain Control; 2.4.2 Enhancement Methods of Consonant Parts; 2.4.3 Noise Reduction Methods.

2.4.3.1 Reproduction of Voice Sounds Recorded on Old Wax Cylinders; 2.4.3.2 Spectral Subtraction Method; 2.4.3.3 Comb Filter Method; 2.4.3.4 Autocorrelation (SPAC) Method; 2.4.3.5 Noise Cancellation Methods; 2.4.4 Speech Speed and Intonation Conversion Methods; 2.4.4.1 Slow Down Speech Speed Method; 2.4.4.2 Pitch Change Enhancement Method; 2.5 Artificial Middle Ears; 2.6 Design of Earthquake Early Warning Chime Based on Auditory Characteristics [17]; 2.7 The Future of Hearing Aids; References; 3 Functional Electrical Stimulation to Auditory Nerves; Abstract.

3.1 Functional Electrical Stimulation; 3.2 Firing Process of Nerves and Electrical Stimulation Methods; 3.2.1 Mechanism of Neural Firing; 3.2.2 Electrical Stimulation of the Auditory Nerves; 3.2.3 Auditory Characteristics by Electrical Stimulation [3]; 3.2.3.1 Single-Channel Stimulation; 3.2.3.2 Multiple-Channel Stimulation; 3.2.4 Current Distribution Inside the Cochlea; 3.3 Various Approaches to Cochlear Implants; 3.3.1 Electrode Configurations of Cochlear Implants; 3.3.2 Signal Processing for Cochlear Implants (See [3]); 3.3.2.1 Single-Channel Method.

This book "Sound-based Assistive Technology" explains a technology to help speech-, hearing- and sight-impaired people. They might benefit in some way from an enhancement in their ability to recognize and produce speech or to detect sounds in their surroundings. Additionally, it is considered how sound-based assistive technology might be applied to the areas of speech recognition, speech synthesis, environmental recognition, virtual reality and robots. It is the primary focus of this book to provide an understanding of both the methodology and basic concepts of assistive technology rather than listing the variety of assistive devices developed in Japan or other countries. Although this book presents a number of different topics, they are sufficiently independent from one another that the reader may begin at any chapter without experiencing confusion. It should be acknowledged that much of the research quoted in this book was conducted in the author's laboratories both at Hokkaido University and the University of Tokyo. This book offers the reader a better understanding of the number of unsolved problems that still persist in the field of sound-based assistive technology.