Advances in Hearing-Aid Research: Insights from IHCON 2026

Sensory-Neural Hearing loss affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and hearing aids remain the primary tool for managing its functional and social consequences. Yet translating advances in signal processing, auditory science, and machine learning into devices that genuinely improve everyday listening remains a challenge. Progress depends on close collaboration between engineers, audiologists, psychoacousticians, and clinicians, and on rigorous evaluation of new technologies both in the laboratory and in the real world to make sure that they are effective for the people who use them daily.This Research Topic invites researchers participating in the International Hearing-Aid Research Conference (IHCON 2026), taking place August 5-9, 2026 at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada, to submit studies that advance knowledge and practice in hearing-aid research and development. In keeping with the international, multidisciplinary spirit of IHCON, and its companion International Hearing-Aid Seminar (IHAS) for junior investigators, we welcome contributions spanning the full pipeline from fundamental auditory science to applied device evaluation and cognitive and social consequences.Key themes highlighted at the meeting included the following topics 1. Creating Super-Hearing Capabilities with Real-Time AI 2. Novel methods for diagnostics and personalization 3. Improving the prescription and fitting of hearing devices 4. Whole-person approaches to hearing loss and treatment 5. Sound and audio quality beyond speech intelligibility 6. Grounded in Reality: Signal-Processing Advances for Wearable Devices 7. Intervention Success at Population and Individual Levels 8. Outcome Measures for Real-Life Device Benefit 9. The Sky’s the Limit: Future Tech for Hearing OutcomesWe welcome Original Research articles presented at the meeting. Topic editors: Graham Naylor, Sunil Puria Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84807/advances-in-hearing-aid-research-insights-from-ihcon-2026