Project Grant 1430908

This three-year National Science Foundation Project Grant of $300,000 will support the development of omnidirectional 3D spatial reconstruction capabilities using consumer-grade mobile phone audio sensors. Funded under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program, the award to the University of Michigan aims to advance computational modeling of sound perception and effective sound-vision integration. Researchers will collect a large-scale audio-visual dataset using sensor rigs...

This Project Grant award of $1,200,000 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Federal Grant Program aims to develop specialized audio techniques to improve balance for individuals with balance impairments when using consumer-level virtual reality (VR) systems at home. The key objectives are to: 1) create adaptive auditory feedback methods to enhance balance in VR; 2) develop automated, real-time balance prediction using low-cost...

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) awarded a $308,712 Project Grant under the CFDA 93.173 "Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders" program to Intelligent Hearing Systems Corp, a small business manufacturer located in Miami, Florida. The goal of this 1-year project, scheduled to run from May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026, is to develop an efficient automated Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing system that incorporates...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $739,346 to the University of Michigan for research titled "A Scalable Configurable Acoustic Processor for Emerging Audio Applications." The research aims to address challenges around scale, time accuracy, latency, and synchronization for very large acoustic transducer arrays. This will enable applications like high-resolution acoustic holography, non-invasive surgery, augmented...

This $295,825 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Aging (CFDA 93.866 Aging Research) will support the development of a smartphone-based machine learning software system to enhance speech and reduce background noise for over-the-counter hearing aid devices. The goal is to improve the accessibility, affordability, and acceptance of hearing aids for underserved rural and minority populations who currently face significant barriers to obtaining effective hearing care. The funding will...

Qualia Oto, Inc. was awarded a $233,928 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation to develop matrix-addressed, thin-film cochlear implant electrode arrays. The NSF funding supports a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program. The award will enable Qualia Oto to establish the feasibility of a novel circuit design fabricated on a thin-film platform using standard manufacturing equipment. Prototypes will undergo electrical...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal grant program "Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders" (CFDA 93.173), aims to develop a novel endovascular medical device called PHONOCATH to improve the diagnosis of pulsatile tinnitus (PT). PT is a form of tinnitus characterized by the perception of a heartbeat-synchronous sound, which can lead to severe depression and anxiety in many...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, aims to develop a bi-directional brain-computer interface (BCI) to support advanced neuroprosthetics and devices. The goal is to restore functional independence for individuals with paralysis and motor deficits. The $295,000 award will fund the creation of a Unity-based extended reality (XR) BCI development...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders Program (CFDA 93.173), will support the development and assessment of shape-adaptive cochlear implant (CI) electrode arrays. The $277,057 award to Qualia Oto, Inc. aims to address the long-standing challenge of achieving both atraumatic insertion and optimal electrode positioning during cochlear implantation. The...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), provides $304,723 to Qualia Oto, Inc. to assess the viability of robotic-assisted, shape-conforming cochlear implant (CI) electrode arrays. The goal is to develop a new CI technology that can achieve atraumatic cochlear implantation and optimal electrode positioning simultaneously,...