Press and Media

Developing an audio device that offers optimum sound experience to all people is not easy. The great challenge is that each person has their own listening preferences. For this reason, the Oldenburg Branch for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology HSA of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT has developed adaptive algorithms as well as intuitive methods for adjusting personal sound. Together with a customer, this technology has now been successfully integrated in headphones as well.

Patient data enjoy extensive protection in Europe. However, this often means that their usability in medical research is restricted. The newly launched »NEMO« project is using the example of EEG data from sleep monitoring systems to investigate the extent to which a person can be clearly identified from biosignals. Anonymisation techniques are then to be developed that allow a use of data in research and development that complies with data protection regulations. Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg is the project coordinator.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT will present a novel monitoring method for industrial production at the most important international industrial trade fair from April 17 to 21, 2023 in Hannover. At the booth of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Hall 16, Booth A12), the Ilmenau-based research institute invites all visitors to test the reliability of the acoustic monitoring method for themselves at an interactive demonstrator. Based on artificial intelligence (AI), acoustic monitoring can be used for the quality assurance of products and the optimization of processes along the entire value chain.

In cooperation with Fraunhofer IDMT and Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, worldiety GmbH, a software company from Oldenburg, has launched the website of the »AudioCAT« research project. The partners use intelligent software to evaluate specialist knowledge and soft skills, with the aim of being able to assess applicants for positions in medicine and patient care even better. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Project Number 16SV8821). The system can be tested on the following website: https://audiocat.de/exam

The car of the future must be able to hear, for example, the siren of an approaching emergency vehicle. That is why the experts at Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg are working on The Hearing Car®. From 7 to 9 March, they will present their latest developments for smart acoustic sensor technology on and in vehicles on their stand and in live demonstrations with their own test vehicle at the DAGA 2023 trade exhibition in Hamburg. They will also showcase solutions for personalised sound in the car as well as a monitoring system to document the engaging of plug connections during production.

From March 6 to 9, 2023, the 49th Annual Conference on Acoustics - DAGA 2023 - will take place in the northern German metropolis of Hamburg. This year, the Ilmenau-based Fraunhofer IDMT is participating in the symposium with a total of seven presentations, two scientific posters, and the chairing of a structured session. The scientific contributions will present current research topics of the Ilmenau institute in the fields of sound analysis for music and acoustic events, numerical acoustics, acoustic metamaterials as well as electroacoustic, and audio signal processing.

Five scientists and an engineering service provider explain why audio technology is important for industry 4.0 and a future topic for the world's leading trade fair for production technology »EMO«.

The amount of manipulated audio files circulating on the Internet and on social media channels is increasing steadily. This can have far-reaching social, but also legal consequences. On the one hand, people can be deliberately misled or deceived by false or manipulated information. On the other hand, audio recordings are very often used as evidence in judicial cases. Undetected manipulations in audio data can have serious consequences in all these cases, but are almost impossible to detect without the correct expertise and appropriate tools.

Fraunhofer researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg have developed a speech recognition solution for use in industrial manufacturing. The system works reliably even in noisy environments and can be flexibly adapted to the user’s needs. Employees use intuitive voice commands on the factory floor, allowing them to keep both hands free and work much more efficiently. The Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023, will provide a first look at the research project, including a hands-on demonstration.

Manufacturers often rely on practical plug connections during the production of automobiles. However, time and money are wasted if an incorrectly plugged-in connection goes unnoticed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Oldenburg has therefore developed a solution. An audio-based technology analyzes the clicking noise that is generated when a connection is plugged in. Should a connection fail to click into place, employees or the »colleague robot« will be alerted via an error message. This technology will be presented for the first time with a practical demonstration at the Hannover Messe Preview on February 15, 2023.