A Soapbox and Electromagnetic Waves

On behalf of the COG-MHEAR research programme, Professor Sellathurai and her research group at Heriot-Watt University participated in Soapbox Science, held on the Mound, Edinburgh, on June 1st, 2024.

The open-air event, themed 'Electromagnetic Waves - From the Cosmic Birth of the Universe to Our Daily Communications, brings science to the streets, transforming public areas into arenas for public learning and scientific debate. The format is inspired by Speakers' Corner in London’s Hyde Park, where open-air public speaking and debate have taken place since the 1860s.

COG-MHEAR aims to leverage the latest 6G wireless technology to assist people with hearing loss, particularly by enhancing the experience of hearing aid users through an audio-visual hearing aid that uses artificial intelligence to remove unwanted noise and improve hearing quality.

At the Soapbox event, the team showcased their progress with a phone app that collects audio-visual input and transmits it to a data cloud in Stockholm to prove the possibility of the use of low-cost, high computational power in real-time by sending it to a remote cloud located in Sweden. AI-based noise cleaning is then performed, and the cleaned voice is returned to Edinburgh within 20 seconds: nearly in real time.

This demonstration highlighted how recent technological advancements can support people with diverse needs.

The technology can be applied to develop various solutions for different needs. A large number of visitors, including children, enjoyed the demonstration and learned how electromagnetic waves—mathematically defined by Clerk Maxwell from Edinburgh—remarkably improve our daily lives.