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Interesting this showed up on HN today; my wife was just diagnosed with mild hearing loss. I was surprised to learn the aesthetics and tech of hearing aids hasn
by WesleyJohnson 5y ago
Interesting this showed up on HN today; my wife was just diagnosed with mild hearing loss. I was surprised to learn the aesthetics and tech of hearing aids hasn't seem to change much since I was a kid. This research is really interesting.
- skybrian 5y agoI don’t know how long ago that was, but the DSP chips can probably do a lot more than back then, and these days you can use Bluetooth to pair with your phone.
- SeasonalEnnui 5y agoI’ve had hearing aids since being a baby, there has been a decent amount of progress since then. Starting with a processor box the size of a large matchbox mounted to my chest, with wires going to my ears into hard plastic ear moulds. Moving to all the electronics (including the ‘receiver’, the speaker element) going behind my ear with a tube going into an acrylic or silicone ear mould. Finally today, it’s Receiver-in-Canal where the electronics are still behind the ear (but much smaller and direct Bluetooth connectivity) and the receiver moved to inside my ear canal inside a tiny plastic tip, making it nearly invisible (invisibility is both good, and bad. It can be useful for people to know you’re deaf with a quick glance at your ears.) There has also been a shift from analog to digital along the way. Interestingly there’s a product called Phonak Lyric that uses analog but in a new way (a product that sits right next to your eardrum for months at a time). I’ve heard good things about it for mild hearing loss.
- julianlam 5y ago> Finally today, it’s Receiver-in-Canal Really? This wasn't an option for my child, although I imagine that's because he's growing, and he needs new ear molds every other month :)