Description of a new low-cost and open-source audiometer and its validation with normal-hearing listeners: The Aupiometer

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306751
• Publication Date: 2024-08-09T17:37:43Z
• Authors: Vincent Isnard; Véronique Chastres; Guillaume Andéol
• Keywords: Audiometer; Hearing test; Gold standard (test); Pure tone audiometry

Hearing loss is a major public health problem. In 2050, it could affect 2.5 billion people. It has therefore become necessary to prevent and diagnose them as early widely possible. However, the costs of clinical equipment dedicated functional exploration hearing remain high hamper their distribution, while technologies used are relatively basic. For example, gold-standard pure-tone audiometry (PTA) essentially consists emitting pure sounds. addition, audiometers generally limited PTA or few audiological tests, induce multiple deficits. Here, we present Aupiometer, low-cost audiometer implemented on modular open-source system based Raspberry Pi, which integrates entire technical framework carry out measurements. Several tests already (e.g. PTA, speech audiometry, questionnaires), validity Aupiometer was verified panel participants (N = 16) for an automated test standard extended high-frequency from 0.125 16 kHz, in comparison with audiometer. this between two devices over wide frequency range, difference evaluated less than ±10 dB 90% confidence interval, same order magnitude test-retest differences single device. The interest device also extends academic research should encourage prototyping innovative by community, better understand diversity problems population.