Hearing Aids
BREAKTHROUGH HEARING AID BATTERY?
May 12th
At Mobility Compare, we get inundated with press releases and stories regarding new mobility products. Some are awful, some far too technical and more than a few off message e.g. who wants to know about celebrity disability? There are, after all, 9 million ‘ordinary’ people in the UK with some form of disability and we don’t need a celebrity showing off their wooden hand.
Anyway, popping into our inbox this week was something that caught our eye. It involved batteries for hearing aids. Before you log off and do something more interesting like watching paint dry, bear with us.
The problem with hearing aid batteries is that, unlike ordinary batteries, they contain mercury which is used as a ‘conductor’ and ‘stabiliser’. As everyone knows, mercury is highly toxic and many dead batteries end up in landfill, poisoning the land and ruining the groundwater beneath it.
It’s been estimated that removing mercury completely from all hearing aid batteries worldwide would save over 6,500 kg of mercury each year – the equivalent of 15,000 footballs, which is a lot of pollution (especially if the balls belong to one particular, nameless North London football club). Clue: red/white shirts.
OK, here’s the serious point. A company based in Washington, Tyne & Wear, has now developed a new green battery for people with hearing aids. The firm in question, Rayovac, has developed ‘mercury-free’ batteries which are a major breakthrough in clean technology. Even better, the batteries are 20% to 30% more powerful than any other competitive battery.
This is big news on a number of fronts. Firstly, Rayovac are the only large manufacturer of hearing aid batteries in the UK and they make 200 million batteries per year – that’s nearly a quarter of the global market or nearly 4,000 mercury footballs.
Secondly, hearing aid batteries are traditionally quite expensive so any development that either improves their performance or lowers battery costs is very welcome, especially for many of the hard of hearing who are on disability benefits.
Thirdly, it’s a timely intervention because some countries are looking at banning mercury batteries. In the USA, Maine is banning mercury-containing batteries in June 2011.
Best of all, is that it’s a step closer to a healthier planet (a tiny step maybe in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill) but a step nonetheless.
Turn down your iPods!
May 4th
We know a lot about hearing aids at Mobility Compare. We know about recent technological developments – our favourite being Siemens Nitro BTE range (watch this space) – as well as more mundane matters such as how much a hearing aid costs to manufacture and whether the various warranties are worth the paper they’re written on.
We also know, from health insiders, that hearing aids have seen an upward tick in demand for one key reason: many people play their MP3’s too loud. It’s not just youngsters either, but people of all ages – even Grandpa playing Bach on his old CD system.
It’s a shame because as people get older, it takes more and more work to stay fit and healthy. The last thing people need is to create more problems for themselves, especially when they are so easily preventable.
For this reason, the staff at Mobility Compare feel moved to tip their caps the way of the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) who recently ran Noise Action Week in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Anyone who knows this area will tell you that it’s full of Sloanes, landed aristocracy, Prince William and Harry on wild nights out and, of course, rich bankers.
Whilst many people would be tempted to turn the volume on a rich banker’s MP3 to the max, and then gaffer tape it for good measure, Mobility Compare couldn’t countenance such action. We think a swift Club to the back of the head is far more humane and, well, swift. We jest of course.
Getting back on topic: Noise Action Week offered free hearing checks to anyone who asked, especially young people. Not only that, but people had their MP3’s examined to gauge for suitable noise levels.
Given that some MP3’s can reach volumes in excess of 100dB – the same as a pneumatic drill at close range or a jet fighter taking off – then it’s no surprise that people’s hearing is being threatened. In fact, continued exposure over 85 decibels can lead to permanent hearing loss and many people play their iPods at well over this limit.
From what we gather from the RNID, the week went extremely well and the charity is planning to roll out the venture in some of the UK’s larger cities using ‘Don’t Lose The Music’ squads.
Given that many people have to fit hearing aids needlessly –simply because they played their music too loud and for too long – we think the RNID’s actions are worthy in the extreme. Good luck from the Mobility Compare team.
Using Teeth to Transmit Sound – New Hearing Aid Technology
Feb 2nd
Single sided deafness, or the loss of hearing in one ear, affects a comparatively small percentage of the population… about 200 in every million. That’s not a lot of people.
But it’s enough.
In fact it amounts to 1.5 million people afflicted across the world. That’s a city the size of Birmingham.
The loss of “stereo hearing” can have dangerous consequences, especially while crossing a street, or in other mobile environments. However, Sonitus Medical, a privately held medical company that specialises in treating single sided deafness, has created a new device, SoundBite, which uses the natural conduction of our teeth and bones for transmitting sound waves to the inner ear – even if the middle and outer ear parts are damaged.
It’s ingenious.
Here’s how it works:
SoundBite can detect noise vibrations by using a microphone that is placed in the ear, and is connected to a transmitter device behind the ear. The BTE (behind-the-ear) device then transmits to an ITM (in-the-mouth) device that sends the sound waves through the jawbone to the cochlea (the snail-shaped tube in the inner ear). No surgery is required, and both the devices can easily be removed and charged inductively.
Sonitus Medical is in the process of preparing SoundBite for FDA trials for single sided deafness, and possibly, eventually treating other types of deafness too.
Of course, the concept is not entirely new. Other hearing aids have also been known to utilise bone conduction for transmitting sound waves. But most of them, however, use titanium pins that are drilled into the jaw bones (or even skulls) for transmitting sounds to the inner ear. SoundBite’s digital hearing aid appears to be the first non-invasive, non-surgical, and easily removable device developed for the mass market.
A Note of Caution: While the hearing aid reviews may be encouraging, SoundBite is probably still years away from retail production. Sonitus Medical plans to eventually have these ITM devices fitted to an individual’s back teeth, and custom made fairly quickly (in 1-2 weeks). A complete hearing aid system would include 2 ITMs, 1 BTE device, and a charger. We hope to include more information about Soundbite on our sister site, MobilityCompare, as and when we hear more information.
If you consider all forms of cochlear implants, the SoundBite devices may be fit only for comparatively specialised use. Nevertheless, the ability to easily upgrade/ replace the individual components of these systems makes Sonitus Medical’s device quite competitive.
Who knows, perhaps Bluetooth headsets of the future may be developed based on the cutting-edge hearing aid technologies of today Whatever the answer, Sonitus’ plans are very, very welcome for the hundreds of thousands of single sided deafness sufferers worldwide.
Uisng teeth as a hearing aid? SoundBite can……
Zound’s Hearing Aids
Jan 18th
Zounds Hearing, Inc. is a provider of complete hearing aid solutions for those with any kind of hearing loss, mild, moderate, severe or profound. They design, manufacture and sell high-performing hearing aids, and are one of the fastest-growing hearing aid companies in the world.
Well, to be honest, you’d expect any hearing aid company to say this and to impress MobilityCompare you need more than mere words.
But even with our cynical hat on, we sat up and took a second look at Zounds latest developments in hearing aids. Indeed, Zounds Hearing has announced the launch of a completely new line of next-generation hearing aids that have made many people sit up and take notice.
Zounds’ latest patented technology is a completely new approach in hearing aid solutions, and apparently it took countless hours, thousands of dollars and more than 10 years to develop. The result has been one of remarkable voice clarity but at reasonable prices.
Sam Thomasson, the CEO of Zounds, talks about this breakthrough technology, “We took our well-received Z1 hearing aids and challenged ourselves to come up with an even better performing hearing aid. The result, simply put, is a line of products that has outperformed even our own high expectations.”
This new line of true performance hearing aids features three product families, Riazo, Clareza and Potenz:
- Riazo – for those who are looking for complete clarity but at a competitive price point. This is a hassle-free hearing aid designed to give users peace of mind to comfortably enjoy their daily lives.
- Clareza – features high-performance technology within a convenient hearing system, with remote control for greater ease of use (including easy hearing aid battery rechargeability).
- Potenz – the most powerful in the line, with vibrant sound for people suffering from severe to profound hearing loss (available in a full hearing system, with a remote control and easy rechargeability).
Zounds believes their new technology will come as a godsend for digital hearing aid users. Justin Kroop, Vice President of Marketing at Zounds Hearing, says, “The engineering team has really hit one out of the park.” The revolutionary technology that sets Zounds Hearing apart from other hearing aid solutions utilises a combination of internally developed technologies and exclusively licensed technical know-how from Acoustic Technologies, Inc., where Sam Thomasson is also the founder.
Is it all PR puff or is there substance in Zounds’ claims? Well, when MobilityCompare tracked down some previous product reviews we came across some excellent reviews on a few forums. View one example here from 2007.
However, there are various rumours that the company is not run as perhaps it should be. In fact last year the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and whilst it looks like the company has now emerged from out of the woods, the question remains whether any hearing aid warranties would be honoured if the company failed again?
Our advice? The technology sounds extremely promising but we’d need to see the company trade profitably for a year or two before we invested in one of their hearing aids. However, if the technology is really that good (we’re talking bionic ears as standard) we might, just might, consider buying one beforehand. Watch this space.
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