Pieter Muyshondt

Dr. Pieter Muyshondt - Senior Engineer, Simulation and Analysis, Cochlear

‍
Understanding the Variability of Middle-Ear Motion Through Simulation

‍

Abstract: In the development of hearing implants, predicting and understanding how a device will perform across the patient population is crucial. The conduction of sound to the hearing organ is governed by highly complex 3D vibrations of the eardrum and ossicles, which vary significantly from person to person. Understanding which components of the ear’s anatomy are responsible for the vibration modes and the variation between subjects is challenging, given the limited availability of measurement data on both motion and structure. This presentation will focus on how finite element analysis of the middle ear is used in conjunction with parameter sensitivity analyses to replicate measurements of 3D ossicular vibrations collected using 3D laser vibrometry, and to improve our understanding of the sources and nature of the observed variation.

Biography: Pieter Muyshondt is a senior simulation engineer at the Cochlear Technology Center Belgium and a former postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Biomedical Physics at the University of Antwerp. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics, focusing on the numerical simulation and characterization of middle-ear mechanics. His main interests include finite-element analysis, vibroacoustic testing, and data analysis in hearing research and technology, with a focus on the development of future hearing implants.

‍