This world-first technology uses high-quality earphones with an in-ear microphone to measure personal sound exposure in a person’s ear canal.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) have made headway in understanding the accuracy and reliability of sound-level monitoring earphones and the effect of smartphone feedback, as an intervention to encourage safe listening use among young people.

Coupled with a tracking app that provides real-time feedback on sound levels when using the personal audio devices, dbTrack provides a first-of-its-kind solution to encourage safe listening.

Prof De Wet Swanepoel

April 28, 2021

Researchers

Prof De Wet Swanepoel

Professor De Wet Swanepoel, PhD, is a professor of audiology in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria (UP). He is a leading international researcher in teleaudiology, hearing health innovation and new service delivery models.

Prof Swanepoel is Research Director of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss at UP. He is also a senior research fellow at the Ear Science Institute Australia, and has served as a visiting professor at universities in the US, Sweden and Australia.

His research capitalises on digital health to explore, develop and evaluate innovative technologies and service delivery models for ear and hearing care. He has published more than 220 peer-reviewed articles, books and book chapters, and is funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the Academy of Medical Sciences in the UK, the National Research Foundation, SA, and other industry partners. He has received numerous international awards for his work, from international science councils, audiology associations and industry.

Prof Swanepoel is a sought-after keynote speaker at international events for global organisations such as the WHO, and for American and British academies of audiology. He regularly features on national and international TV and radio channels, including CNN, Sky News, CNBC and the BBC. Prof Swanepoel is also Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Audiology and a former president of the International Society of Audiology. He holds several patents and is founder of hearX group, a digital health company.

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