Effects of distance on Hyfe performance

Summary

Hyfe is designed for individual users. High performance means detecting all coughs from a nearby user and no ambient coughs from others in the distance. To achieve this, Hyfe uses various metrics to sort out the soundscape it is analyzing, filtering to loud noise...

This paper investigates how the performance of Hyfe's cough detection app running on commercially available smartphones varies with distance. The study involved testing with different smartphones and measured cough detection rates at various distances using pre-recorded coughs. This information is crucial for optimizing the use of Hyfe's technology in different settings and understanding the limitations and capabilities of the devices used for cough detection.Key findings include:

  1. Cough detection rates decrease with distance, and this effect varies by device.
  2. On Motorola phones, detection rates drop by 15-20% at 1 meter.
  3. On iPhones, the same rate of decrease occurs at 3.5 meters.
  4. For Motorola phones, peak loudness declines more rapidly with distance, impacting detection rates.
  5. The study suggests that Hyfe can tailor detection thresholds for different research projects to balance these effects.

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