It seems like all our devices are getting smarter, stronger, and more compact. In general, the trend is that devices have more features and take up less space.
This is also true for hearing aids, and it’s not surprising. The world’s population is aging and hearing issues, though they can have a variety of causes, are more common among older individuals. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 37.5 million people and 3 million Canadians describe having difficulty hearing, and since age is a better predictor of hearing loss than any other demographic variable, that number will probably go up.
If you’re suffering from hearing loss, that’s one person too many. Better ways to decrease hearing loss? Bring ‘em on! Here are some of the innovations that are in the works.
Using Your Hearing Aid to Track Your Entire Body
This is so obvious, it’s one of those “Now why didn’t I think of that” innovations. Health and fitness trackers need to be worn on the body. So do you really need a device on your wrist if you already have one in your ear? The answer is no. If you have the latest hearing aid, it can most likely keep track of your pulse, physical activity along with correcting hearing issues such as tinnitus. Certainly, a wearable like an Apple Watch can do that, but hearing aids can provide you with other kinds of input that can be helpful to monitoring health, like how much time you spend in active conversation or listening. How much social involvement you get can actually be an important health metric, especially as you age.
Better Streaming Straight to You
Connectivity is the important watchword, as virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa have advanced from smartphones to in-home devices seamlessly. Audio from a device, such as a smart TV can now be streamed directly to your hearing aid if it is Bluetooth compatible. Android developers now have open-source specifications provided by Google which lets them use specific Bluetooth channels to stream uninterrupted audio straight to your hearing aid. This type of technology is helping hearing aids work almost like super-powered wireless headphones, making it easier to enjoy movies, music, and more.
Smart Adjustments From Big Data
Similar to how Netflix recommends shows and movies according to what you’ve previously watched, or your Fitbit buzzes to let you know you’ve reached a milestone (or okay, let’s say stepping stone, depending on how committed your daily step goals are), your next hearing aid may make personalized suggestions. Several manufacturers are working on hearing aids that will learn both from the adjustments you make and from listening to the places you go. Some push it even further, crowdsourcing data on how people use their hearing aids anonymizing and then aggregating the data. So whether you’re watching TV at home, or in an IMAX theater, your hearing aids will be able to use this information to recognize what your situation is and make adjustments to give you the best audio experience.
Eliminating The Batteries For Good
Ya, it sounds too good to be true, hearing aids that don’t require batteries? After all, making sure you’ve got spare batteries on hand, or even making time to recharge your hearing aid batteries, can be annoying. While we’re not likely to see hearing aids that don’t need any batteries, there has been a constant improvement in rechargeable technology. That means longer time in use, faster recharging, and less worrying about batteries, overall, not too bad.