Smartphone middle‑ear tester to spot preventable childhood hearing problems
Official title: mHealth Tympanometer: A Digital Innovation to Address Preventable Childhood Hearing Loss in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11394022 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a low-cost smartphone-based middle‑ear tester with smart software to find treatable hearing problems in children in low- and middle-income countries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $21,088 |
| NIH project number | 3R33DC020134-06S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394022 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children (particularly ages 1–11) in low- and middle-income countries who can be screened in schools or community clinics.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose hearing loss stems from inner‑ear or genetic causes rather than middle‑ear infections, or those already receiving comprehensive audiology care in high‑resource settings, may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
They are creating an inexpensive tympanometer that works with a cellphone and uses machine learning to help interpret results for middle‑ear disease, a common and preventable cause of childhood hearing loss in low-resource settings. The device will be designed with user-centered input so community health workers or school screeners can use it without specialist training. The team will validate the device in partnership with local sites in low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa, and compare results to standard clinical tests. The goal is a broadly usable tool that can be integrated into school hearing screening programs where newborn screening is not available.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could detect treatable middle‑ear disease early and help prevent lifelong hearing loss among children in low-resource areas.
How similar studies have gone: Mobile pure‑tone screening tools have been validated previously (for example by hearX), but a smartphone tympanometer with machine‑learning diagnostics is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Emmett, Susan Davis — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Emmett, Susan Davis
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Noise-related hearing loss and its link to Alzheimer's progression
Researchers are looking at whether hearing damage from loud noise speeds memory loss and dementia in people at risk for Alzheimer's.
-
Audiological rehabilitation for children with unilateral hearing loss
A research project aims to help children who hear with one ear by testing ways to improve their hearing and communication through targeted audiology interventions.
-
Choosing the right hearing device for kids with moderate-to-severe hearing loss
This grant explores which hearing device—hearing aids or cochlear implants—works best for children aged 0-11 with moderate-to-severe hearing loss.
-
Noise-related hearing loss and brain-to-ear feedback in hearing protection
A small, patient-friendly study will look at how loud noise changes the brain’s control over hearing and whether this affects conditions like tinnitus or sensitivity to sound.
-
How loud noise can change the brain's sound decisions
This project looks at how loud noise-related hearing loss may affect how people process sounds and make quick decisions about what they hear.
-
Understanding how tactile language and wearable tech can help DeafBlind children learn and use language
A study at Gallaudet University tests a new tactile language and wearable haptic devices to help DeafBlind children build early language and everyday life skills.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.