This Week in Review: How Wearable Tech Can Inform Hearing Aid Developments and Coming Soon: Rechargeable Hearing Aids?!
How The Apple Watch and Your Hearing Aid Might be Related
A recent article in The Atlantic delves into the new world of wearable tech devices, and how the first iterations (hearing aids) are actually influencing the way future devices may become integrated into our lives. Much in the way that hearing devices alter the way we experience the world, and enhance our lives, new devices would change the way we approach daily tasks. For example, HoloLens, a new venture from Microsoft would project videos or visual instructions on an electrical outlet that was in need of repair.
Another way in which hearing aids are progressing is their capability to record larger amounts of data, which can be wirelessly transmitted to an audiologist for feedback and more accurate tuning. The fear with these advanced hearing aids as well as other types of wearable devices (and even currently with smartphones) is a breach of privacy. This is particularly important to keep in mind with all devices that we are beginning to seamlessly incorporate into daily life, such is the case with hearing devices.
Don’t Forget to Plug in Your Hearing Aids!
ZPower, the first company to develop rechargeable zinc batteries for hearing aids, is set to release new technology for a rechargeable device this year at the Joint Defense Veterans Audiology (JDVAC) conference. They are working to improve existing hearing aids, and that users would only need one battery for an entire year according to Ubergizmo.com!
This May Be Old News But…
If you read our post from a few weeks back, we discussed the repercussions that ear buds were having on teens regarding hearing loss. The World Health Organization stated this week that 1.1 billion people are at risk of hearing loss due to use of unsafe personal audio devices. This not only includes listening to music on smart phones and other devices, but also sporting events, bars, nightclubs and parties. Data from recent studies states that 50% of teens and young adults ages 12-35 are exposed to unsafe levels of sound from personal devices and 40% from entertainment venues.
There are new smartphone apps, like Awareness! That can help you control the sound level on your device, while also alerting you to important background noises such as an approaching car. The WHO also recommends wearing earplugs when at noisy venues, and to limit listening on personal devices to one hour.