Use of Airpod Pros as Assistive Technology

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Hearing Loss, Adult-Onset, Hearing Aids

In brief

The goal of this study is to investigate the suitability and effectiveness of the AirPod Pro 2nd and 3rd generation (AP) as hearing assistive technology for individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss when listening in noisy environments. Researchers will compare four types of assistive technology: hearing aids (HAs), AP, dedicated wireless remote microphones, and Smartphone wireless remote microphone. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Which assistive technology provides the greatest benefit for speech recognition in noisy environments? * How do these devices impact listening effort, as measured by reaction time in a dual-task activity and changes in pupil size? * What are participants' preferences for each device based on how easy it is to understand speech and their overall satisfaction? Participants will visit the lab for a single 3-hour session. They will listen to sentences using each device and repeat what they hear. During this task, their reaction times for the secondary task and changes in pupil size will be measured.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06840015

Run by

The University of Texas at Dallas

People needed

24

Starts

2025-07-01

Expected to finish

2026-12-18

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-10

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 60. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged 18 to 60 years.
• Fluent English speakers.
• Mild-to-moderate hearing loss confirmed by a pure-tone hearing test (average hearing threshold screening 25 to 55 dB HL across octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz).
• Individuals with no prior hearing aid experience for a year.

You may not qualify if…

• Normal hearing.
• Hearing loss worse than moderate.
• Neurological, psychiatric, or ophthalmological conditions that might alter the pupil response.
• Non-fluent English speakers.
• Individuals with prior hearing aid experience more than a year.

Where it is running

• Callier Center for Communication Disorders — Richardson, Texas, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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