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Have you looked at https://www.listenlively.com https://www.listenlively.com or are you talking about something different? (It's VC-backed BTW).

by stmw 6y ago

Jemaclus 6y ago
I haven't heard of that, but those hearing aids aren't anything special w/r/t shape or size. They're using the same batteries as other hearing aids. I'm sure they're getting their cost savings somewhere else. See this photo: https://www.listenlively.com/_next/static/images/rechargeable-model-f3a18946e7faf09551b34c1c40c508f8.png.webp https://www.listenlively.com/_next/static/images/rechargeabl... They claim to be "invisible", but what they really mean is that the tube from the aid to the ear is really thin and transparent, and the aid itself is skin-toned. But it's not invisible, anyone can see it, and it's still big! (though light-years smaller than they were in the 90s...) First, a clarification. There are in-the-ear hearing aids and over-the-ear hearing aids. The difference is usually one of power. An in-the-ear hearing aid is usually for older people with minor hearing loss. Someone like me that is profoundly deaf or with a severe hearing loss needs more powerful amplification. More power == more energy, and more energy == bigger batteries. That means that we need an over-the-ear hearing aid, like the one in the image above. The size factor for over-the-ear aids isn't due to design, but rather to the battery. The battery is the biggest part! They're this big: https://helpingmehear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hearing-aid-batteries-2.jpg https://helpingmehear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hearing... This means the aid cannot be ANY SMALLER than the battery. If we could eliminate the battery entirely and rely on some other energy store, then the size of the aid could be slimmed down to almost flat. The other problem with batteries is that batteries need to be changed when they die. My battery lasts somewhere between 7-9 days before it dies. If we were to use a smaller battery than the image above, it would die even more often. And trust me, it SUCKS to be mid-conversation when a battery dies... and it sucks even more if you didn't have any batteries with you and now you have to run to a local pharmacy to buy some, and you're trying to communicate with a cashier or whatever while completely deaf... Oof... But I digress... :) Anyway! So the dream, as it were, is to create a battery-less aid that can run off body heat or something magical like that.

Have you looked at https://www.listenlively.com https://www.listenlively.com or are you talking about something different? (It's VC-backed BTW).

by stmw 6y ago

Have you looked at https://www.listenlively.com https://www.listenlively.com or are you talking about something different? (It's VC-backed BTW).

Jemaclus 6y ago

I haven't heard of that, but those hearing aids aren't anything special w/r/t shape or size. They're using the same batteries as other hearing aids. I'm sure they're getting their cost savings somewhere else. See this photo: https://www.listenlively.com/_next/static/images/rechargeable-model-f3a18946e7faf09551b34c1c40c508f8.png.webp https://www.listenlively.com/_next/static/images/rechargeabl... They claim to be "invisible", but what they really mean is that the tube from the aid to the ear is really thin and transparent, and the aid itself is skin-toned. But it's not invisible, anyone can see it, and it's still big! (though light-years smaller than they were in the 90s...) First, a clarification. There are in-the-ear hearing aids and over-the-ear hearing aids. The difference is usually one of power. An in-the-ear hearing aid is usually for older people with minor hearing loss. Someone like me that is profoundly deaf or with a severe hearing loss needs more powerful amplification. More power == more energy, and more energy == bigger batteries. That means that we need an over-the-ear hearing aid, like the one in the image above. The size factor for over-the-ear aids isn't due to design, but rather to the battery. The battery is the biggest part! They're this big: https://helpingmehear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hearing-aid-batteries-2.jpg https://helpingmehear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/hearing... This means the aid cannot be ANY SMALLER than the battery. If we could eliminate the battery entirely and rely on some other energy store, then the size of the aid could be slimmed down to almost flat. The other problem with batteries is that batteries need to be changed when they die. My battery lasts somewhere between 7-9 days before it dies. If we were to use a smaller battery than the image above, it would die even more often. And trust me, it SUCKS to be mid-conversation when a battery dies... and it sucks even more if you didn't have any batteries with you and now you have to run to a local pharmacy to buy some, and you're trying to communicate with a cashier or whatever while completely deaf... Oof... But I digress... :) Anyway! So the dream, as it were, is to create a battery-less aid that can run off body heat or something magical like that.