Cross-Modal Sensory Boosting to Improve High-Frequency Hearing Loss: Device Development and Validation.

These findings show that vibrotactile sensory substitution delivered by a wristband that produces spatially distinguishable vibrations in correspondence with high-frequency phonemes helps individuals with high-frequency hearing loss improve their perceived understanding of verbal communication. Vibrotactile feedback provides benefits whether or not a person wears hearing aids, albeit in slightly different ways. Finally, individuals with the greatest perceived difficulty understanding speech experienced the greatest amount of perceived benefit from vibrotactile feedback.