How can new and emerging technologies be assessed?
The sound restoration earmuff, for example, is designed to provide a consistent level of sound beneath the earmuff cup by amplifying quiet sounds and quieting loud sounds electronically (see article in this issue of The Hearing Review). Currently the devices can only be assessed in their off or passive mode, but this is not a good reflection of actual use. Similarly, the active noise cancellation earmuffs that generate anti-noise to cancel incoming offensive sounds, cannot be evaluated in their intended application under the current rule. Finally, if it is important to understand how HPDs work on individual users, it may be best to test HPDs in a way that reflects individual use. New technologies are emerging to enable quick and simple field testing of HPDs, and these are described by Berger in this issue of The Hearing Review.
