SmartPhones as Hearing Aids?
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 6/5/2015 1:00:00 AM
In the 70's, hearing aids looked a lot like iPods with earbuds.
Back then, it was difficult to cram all the electronics and the batteries into a unit small enough to fit into your ear, so there was a wire coming from the earbud leading to a little metal box about the size of an iPod that people kept in their pockets. Tim Conway wore one in the Mama's Place sketches on the Carol Burnet show.
There's no question that hearing aids today are completely different. They not only amplify sound, but they let you fine tune the sound to enhance the specific frequencies that the listener may have trouble hearing. This involves extensive testing and adjustments, which dramatically improve the sounds for the listener.
While I'm not suggesting a typical SmartPhone can compare with professional hearing aids, or the skills of a trained doctor, it would seem to me that a SmartPhone could be an ideal alternative for people who simply need a little help from time to time. It would be pretty easy for an App to not only amplify sounds in real time, but also tap into various filters and equalizations that could help remove background noise and enhance sounds for people who need it.
As a bonus, unlike the hearing aids of the 70s, which weren't very discrete, it's no longer unusual to see somebody with a wire coming from their ear... not to mention Bluetooth.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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