HEARLIGHT

A project to enhance auditory rehabilitation with AI and cortical implants.

Cochlear implants are considered the most efficient method for sensory rehabilitation. However, noisy environments can limit their performance. The EU-funded HearLight project proposes a pioneering auditory rehabilitation strategy based on direct stimulation of the main sound processing centre in the brain: the auditory cortex. The cortical implant is a plastic device, adaptable to complex auditory codes, which could benefit from acoustic information preprocessing by AI algorithms. HearLight will test the benefits of sound preprocessing by machine learning algorithms and develop a new generation of ultrathin, biocompatible LED displays to place on the convoluted surface of the human auditory cortex for activating precise perceptions. The project will demonstrate that cortical implants outperform cochlear implants.