Interview with Frank Swain, Co-Developer of Phantom Terrains Project:
Hearing Another World Through Your Hearing Aids
A few weeks ago, we posted about a project called Phantom Terrains – you can read all about it here – and the exciting new development from creators Frank Swain and Daniel Jones: the transmission of data and Wi-Fi into audible sound that can be heard through a pair of Bluetooth hearing aids. While it might seem strange, a major goal behind the project was to change the view of hearing aids as merely assistive technology into “an enhancement that can surpass the ability of normal human hearing.” This gives hearing impaired individuals a sort of superpower, as they are privy to the sounds of data – something that surrounds all of us on a daily basis, but cannot be seen, heard, or touched. This other world is opened up by hearing aids, allowing users to connect to it more directly.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Frank Swain both about the Phantom Terrains project and his perspective on hearing aids. As an individual with hearing loss, Frank Swain has had a very positive experience with his aids, saying that although he resisted the idea of them at first, he soon found them life-changing in the way they allowed him to reconnect with the world. “Hearing loss cuts you off from other people,” he says, “so that you become estranged from those you are closest to. Getting hearing aids feels like getting my friends back.”
He also encourages reluctant individuals to “take the plunge – a mouthful of pride to swallow is a small price to pay for such far-reaching improvements to your life.” In his interview, we are shown just how far hearing aids are reaching.
KL: How do you feel your hearing loss and hearing aids have impacted your life?
FS: Hearing loss cuts you off from other people – so that you become estranged from those you are closest to. Getting hearing aids feels like getting my friends back.
KL: What inspired your project of transmitting data and Wi-Fi signals into audile sound that only the hearing aids can deliver to the user?
FS: Hearing aids make a litany of decisions about what they think you want to hear. They suppress what they believe is noise, and boost useful information. I was interested in seeing how far this editorialisation of my hearing could be pushed.
KL: Why were you interested in hearing Wi-Fi, in particular? Was it an unexplored frontier in your eyes?
FS: Me and Daniel could have added almost any conceivable data layer to my hearing. We chose Wi-Fi as it is something people intuitively understand is all around us, yet something nobody really has a sense of.
KL: Your project seems to say a lot about what it means to communicate in our data-driven world. Hearing loss can sometimes be an obstacle in communication – but hearing aids help to overcome this. Can you elaborate on this in light on Phantom Terrains?
FS: Hearing aids certainly offer a platform on which data communications can be added. With the advent of standards on audio-over-low-energy-Bluetooth coming into force, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the emergence of “hearables” – small wireless earpieces to connect us with our devices.
KL: The sounds you hear through the hearing aids are almost alien-like at times. How did you and Mr. Jones translate the invisible into these sounds?
FS: Daniel brought his expertise as a sound artist in designing the audio of the Phantom Terrains system. We wanted something that was audible yet not intrusive. It’s an unusual design challenge, to create something that ought to be listened to for long periods yet not really heard.
KL: Were these sounds overwhelming as you walked around, or more enlightening?
FS: A bit of both. If augmented hearing is to become a widespread platform we need to get the balance right. I’m not sure we’re there yet, but we’re learning.
KL: Your site says that your project, in part, “challenges the notion of assistive hearing technology as a prosthetic, reimagining it as an enhancement that can surpass the ability of normal human hearing.” I love the concept of changing what I considered an ‘aid’ into a sort of super-ability. Why was this an important piece of the project for you?
FS: Certainly; I think it’s important for all users of assistive technology to feel like they have a unique ability within their prosthetic, that it can be an individual part of them, rather than a mock-up of someone else.
KL: In your opinion, what is it about hearing aids that make so many people with hearing loss shy away from them? What made you accept them as a beneficial part of your life? Do you think your project reflects some of that positivity?
FS: Hearing loss is associate with age, and not many people want to feel like they’re old. It’s also much easier to convince yourself that you don’t need them. I’m no different than anyone else – I put it off as long as possible. But I’m something of an evangelist for them now.
KL: What do you think the future holds for hearing aids and individuals with hearing loss? Do you think there is a progression toward comfort and affordability – or do you think there should be?
FS: Technologically, hearing aids are very, very good. But some are far from affordable. My hope is that the revolution of networked hearing aids will allow separate devices such as a smartphone to act as the brain of the hearing aid, allowing them to be made much simpler and cheaper. I also expect this architecture will explode the available functionality – something we’re already seeing with devices on the market.
KL: What might you say to someone experiencing a hearing loss who is reluctant to purchase aids?
FS: I’d encourage them to take the plunge – a mouthful of pride to swallow is a small price to pay for such far-reaching improvements to your life.
KL: Do you have any future hearing-related projects planned?
FS: The Phantom Terrains system is only in its infancy – there is much further we can go in this space, both technically and imaginatively.
(And it seems as though this is the case for hearing aid technology as well. Happy hearing!)
