Innovations in hearing aid technology

The dream of improved hearing

Hearing aid technology has a long history: It has been more than two thousand years since humans first tried to improve hearing with aids. The earliest images of people putting their hand behind their ear to improve sound come from ancient Egypt. The pharaohs of that time wore large wigs in the shape of a sphere to amplify sound.¹ Later, vaulted canopies at court served the same purpose.

One of the first hearing aids used by prehistoric man was his own hand, which was placed behind the ear - good hearing was essential for survival, especially when hunting. Animal horns also served as improvised ear trumpets.²

The first technical aids for improving hearing appeared in the Middle Ages. Ear trumpets have been handed down from the 17th century, but they were still quite primitive in their design - and, due to the lack of knowledge about the anatomy of the ear, not very effective. This changed 200 years later, when the first scientific studies provided the necessary basis.

The 19th century finally heralded the triumphant advance of the ear trumpet: Illustrations from this period show that even then people tried to hide their limited hearing ability from others: many ear trumpets from this time were disguised as pipes or components of walking sticks.

Hearing aid technology made another leap forward in 1875: that year saw the presentation of the first hearing solution that could be adapted to individual hearing loss. The device had a sliding piston that enabled various sound amplifications.³

The invention of the transistor became the basis for the next milestone in hearing aid technology. After the end of World War II, the small semiconductor components initiated a development that led to the progressive miniaturization of hearing aids. Today, hearing aids are capable of restoring hearing to even people with severe hearing loss and can adapt to a wide variety of hearing environments.

Digitalisation, which has been steadily increasing since 1996, is another historical leap forward: it will provide the next generation of hearing aids with hearing aid technology that improves hearing in a way never seen before.

Apps with translation function

Typical for the development of the latest generation of hearing aids are features that go far beyond the restoration of hearing. One of these hearing aid innovations is the translation function: with the ability to translates up to 27 different languages. However, we still require an app and Bluetooth connection between smartphone and hearing aids for the translation to work. In about five years, the memory capacity and computing power of the devices should make it possible to completely integrate the translation function into the hearing aids.

Hearing aids with lithium-ion battery

Hearing aids depend on the power of their batteries. If it starts to wear off at the moment when the hearing aid is needed, it can be very annoying: for example, in the middle of a classical concert, a lively conversation or at church as well as at a place of worship. If no replacement batteries are available, decisive listening moments are missed. In addition, battery replacement is complicated for many older people.

New types of hearing aids have a lithium-ion battery, making constant battery changes unnecessary. One full charge can last up to 24 hours, depending on usage. To charge, simply place the hearing aids in the charging station which also serves as a storage box. The charging process normally takes less than four hours.

Focused on the essentials: Hearing aid technology with noise filtering function

Small, smart, networked - and with a filter: this is what distinguishes hearing aids of the latest generation. They have hearing programs that use their filter function to filter out disturbing sounds from the ambient noise. In a restaurant, for example, the clanging dishes can be muffled while the other person's spoken word can be clearly understood. Depending on the default setting, important noises are emphasised - and unimportant noises are not. Some models, in combination with a smartphone app, can memorise locations such as your favorite restaurant. The settings for this location are saved. If the hearing aid user enters the location again, the hearing aid automatically switches to the same mode as it was in the previous visit.

Future project: Networked hearing systems with Internet connection

Research is currently underway into wirelessly networked hearing systems that support the user both during familiarization and long-term use. These cloud-based systems with Internet connection should, for example, enable hearing aid wearers to be cared for and the device performance to be adjusted remotely via smartphone. In addition, the anonymised data recorded and transmitted by the hearing systems could be used to create a restaurant index that informs people with hearing impairments about restaurants with particularly good acoustics. Urban planners and environmental researchers could benefit from noise maps based on the noise exposure data collected by the hearing aids.

In addition, hearing aids are currently being developed which perform other tasks in addition to their function as hearing aids. The so-called healthables will, for example, be able to measure the pulse rate or estimate the blood sugar level. The data recorded by the systems can then be evaluated by doctors for diagnosis and therapy. This is made possible by additional sensors that are embedded into the hearing aids. But this is still a dream of the not too distant future.

In the near future, hearing aids systems will be able to make driving more relaxed: Above a certain speed, they dampen the driving noise. This works in combination with a GPS smartphone and an app.

Hearing aids with position/motion sensors also increase the user's safety: Fall detection alert sends an SMS warning to up to 3 in the wearer’s contact List so that caregivers can be notified is now a feature in our KINDvitalo models.

<sub>References:

¹ http://median-verlag.de/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=97&flypage=shop.flypage2&product_id=14&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1</sub>

<sub>² https://www.uzh.ch/orl/dga-ev/publikationen/zfaudiologie/archiv/AudAk_1984_23-2_034-055_Original.pdf

³ https://hsm-schweiz.ch/hoersysteme/die-geschichte-des-hoergeraets/</sub>