Assisted Listening

Hearing Aid Technology Is Finally Going To Work In Hearing Protection Market

For a long time, the standard in hearing protection for the military, police and workers in noisy industrial environments was little more than a set of ill-fitting ear plugs. But blocking your hearing is often more dangerous than potentially losing it in noisy environments where inability to hear your colleague’s voices or failure to hear warnings of an imminent threat can put you in harm’s way. It’s no surprise, then, that hearing loss among soldiers who don’t wear their earplugs because they don’t feel safe not being able to hear what’s going on around them has become one of the biggest problems for veterans of the Irag war and other conflicts. That’s why it’s gratifying to see hearing-aid manufacturers have finally start applying advanced hearing enhancement and hearing protection technology to the problem of environmental noise. Phonak is the latest manufacturer to come up with an advanced hearing system for people trying to get their jobs done in noisy and dangerous environments, and it integrates some impressive technology.

The new Phonak primero DPC boomless radio headset features “dynamic hearing protection.” Custom ear molds that sit in the user’s ears integrate wireless technology which measures and dampens environmental noise while enhancing speech tones. The sound-dampening completely protects users from load blasts or noise from heavy machinery while enabling them to continue speaking with others over a wireless link. A tiny microphone integrated within the ear jack and an innovative signal processing algorithm pick up the user’s voice from inside the ear canal. This allows the user to be heard by others over the wireless link more clearly than with previous technologies. Designed with teams such as rapid intervention, SWAT, police, emergency and homeland security professionals in mind, the primero DPC system raises the bar of safe radio communications by enabling conversation in noise of up to 115dB with hearing protection guaranteed even when loud ‘impulse’ noises such as shots or crashes occur.

By integrating both hearing enhancement AND protection, Phonak’s new system is leading the charge for a new class of products that put sophisticated hearing aid technology to work in a market for hearing-protection systems that is potentially even larger than the global market for hearing aids.

Peltor Headset Communicates Safely Even In Noisiest Environments

A tree came down in our yard this week prompting a visit from our treeman, Conor Gleeson. Something was different this time: in addition to their usual safety helmets, Conor and his crew each were sporting a pair of bulky two-way communication headphones.

I’ve seen them with hearing protectors in the past, because the noise of a high-speed wood chipper combined with several chain saws running at once can ruin your hearing in no time. But the new gear went way beyond hearing protection. Conor said he’d been saving up for a while and gotten the Rolls Royce of two-way communications and hearing protection systems from 3M’s Aearo Corp.’s Peltor manufacturing subsidiary. Conor showed me how the headset has an external microphone to catch ambient sound, which he can turn on when the machines are off but shut down for hearing protection when he needs it. A two-way radio connection lets him communicate with up to seven of his employees, replacing his more cumbersome previous setup using hand-held walkie talkies. A sturdy boom mike on a 360-degree hinge avoids snags on branches while letting him communicate even when he is climbing. And a Bluetooth connection to his cell phone lets him stay in touch with customers and juggle work schedules with crews at multiple locations. Conor started his company a few years ago and is in his early 30s. So he is not from the macho generation of tree men who eschewed hard hats and other protective gear as unmanly. He says he’s seen too many of his colleagues in their late 40s and early 50s barely able to work because of their hearing disabilities, even though they are perfectly fit otherwise. You can get fully equipped Peltor headsets in the $500 range, although models with fewer bells and whistles cost considerably less.

‘Hearing-Aid Hacking’ Gives The Inside Word On Assistive-Listening Technology

I just discovered a LiveJournal site called “Hearing-Aid Hacking” which gives great do-it-yourself advice on using assistive listening technologies with hearing aids. It features tips and new technologies from real hearing-aid users, everything from how to work with the direct-audio-input (DAI) connections on your hearings aids (if they have them), to the latest on new Bluetooth technologies (especially for mobile phone users) and on the new bells and whistles that hearing-aid manufacturers seem to constantly announce. Here is the site’s mission statement: “For high end users of hearing aids. We’re frustrated that we’re behind the technology curve and pay huge dollars/pounds/euros for good hearing aids that are unaware of and incompatible with anything resembling recent advances in consumer audio tech. We’re willing to blaze our own path because no one will do it for us until they realize there is money in them thar hills.” If you are a new or experienced hearing-aid user, there is probably something there for you.

Stone Deaf Pilots Site Rocks With Hearing Assistive Technology Galore

I just discovered a GREAT site on assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, Stone Deaf Pilots - The Deaf Tech Blog. It’s authored by Kathryn Hill, a San Francisco-based photographer, and it’s chock full of the latest and greatest assistive technologies for both profoundly deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers. Check out her posts on finding a deaf-friendly phone (she’s looking at either the Sidekick or Blackberry), on video captioning for handheld devices, and on software that reads and writes your voicemail onto your handheld screen. I’ve got this one on my RSS reader now, plus a link on the sidebar of this page.

Startup Bionica To Market New ‘Personal Communication System’

It’s not every day a new hearing-aid company is launched from the ground up. A group of entrepreneurs in Providence, Rhode Island, yesterday announced they formed Bionica Corp. to develop and market a new “Personal Communication System.” With $250,000 in backing from the Slater Technology Fund, a New England Venture Capital firm, the new company sits in the shadow of Brown University. With broad and deep experience in technology development and industrial design, Bionica’s founders, Ralph Beckman and Kipp Bradford, have impressive start-up credentials. And they have recruited a CEO with world-class hearing-aid experience, Peter T. Hahn, the former President of U.S. Operations for Oticon, the world’s third-largest hearing-aid manufacturer. Their personal communicator, Clio, apparently will be a next-generation hearing aid that is “based upon leading edge technology in microprocessors and sound transmission technology” but which is “carefully designed for user friendliness.” I can’t wait to hear more.

Hatis Assistive Listening Devices Make Hearing Aids Phone- and iPod-Friendly

To listen to an iPod or communicate successfully on the phone, even on my most powerful amplified phone, I need to hear with both ears. I’ve found the best way to accomplish that trick is with a line of products from Hatis that plug into my iPod and my phones. They have ear hooks that hang behind my ears and transmit directly into my telecoil-equipped hearing aids. Hatis products can plug into your cell phone with a 2.5 mm jack or into your iPod, CD player or other device with a 3.5 mm jack. Their silhouette ear hooks are slim, broad and flat, and their patented technology provides better transmission through the telecoils than any other silhouette product I’ve tried. These products are a godsend, because without binaural listening assistance in stereo, I can’t use the phone, at least not for normal business conversations.

When I listen with just one ear, I often miss too much for the phone to be useful, but when I use both, the deficiencies in each ear seem to balance each other out, and with proper amplification I can communicate well. I used to depend on several different neckloops that would transmit the phone signal through the telecoils in my hearing aids. But increasingly I found I had to drape the neckloop over the back of each ear to get as much volume as I required. This was a cumbersome solution and made me look ridiculous. But the Hatis silhouette-style products provide a direct link to my hearing aids that are relatively unobtrusive and easy enough to take on and off when I use the phone. They are pricey, ranging from $100 to $300, but I’ve found them worth the money as I use them all the time.

The Hatis Freedom series has a plug for a 2.5 mm jack, making it compatible with many mobile phones. It also has a microphone with a lapel clip that I’ve found to work quite well. Everyone I’ve asked says my voice comes across very clearly, without background noise. The Freedom series comes in either monaural or binaural versions, so if if you only need to hear with one ear you don’t have to bother with two ear hooks. There is also a Hatis Lite version with a much slimmer earhooks. I haven’t tried this version but assume it provides a little less volume in return for a slightly easier and less obtrusive earpiece. The Director series is like the Freedom line but also has a boom microphone, for call centers and other situations where even better sound clarity is required. Finally, the Epic series, which also comes in monaural and binaural versions, has a plug that fits a 3.5 mm jack commonly used in CD players, computers, iPods and other devices. It’s got a nice long cord, and for hearing-aid users with telecoils, the sound quality is as good as you’re going to get because it comes directly through the aids without going through your hearing aids’ microphones. The Director series doesn’t have a microphone, because it’s not necessary when you’re only listening. However, my Clearsounds amplified phone has a 3.5 mm jack, so I use the Hatis Director to get my calls amplified in stereo while using the handset to speak. It’s a great solution all the way around.

Oticon Integrates Wireless Bluetooth Receiver In New Epoq Hearing Aids

Oticon’s latest new technology is whiz bang, integrating a Bluetooth receiver inside its new Epoq family of hearing aids. Epoq also provides wireless binaural communication between right and left hearing aids to make stereophonic sound more natural. But to me the most exciting innovation is the integrated Bluetooth, which enables mobile phone reception directly by the hearing aids. I get that benefit currently with a pair of Hatis silhouettes which plug directly into my cell phone and hang behind my ears next to my behind-the-ear hearing aids. They work well but require that I be tethered to the phone in addition to taking them on and off and constantly making sure the silhouettes are set properly next to the telecoils in my hearing aids. Getting phone reception directly into the aids through a wireless Bluetooth connection is the holy graille. But the nifty new solution isn’t without its drawbacks.

First, you need another device – a “Streamer” – to use the Bluetooth receiver. The Streamer synchs with your Bluetooth-enabled phone and transmits to the integrated circuitry in the hearing aids. That means another device to carry around and keep track of, in addition to the set-up and operational complexity which can be a hurdle for some users. The extra Streamer device may be necessary because it solves at least one problem: Bluetooth is a power hog and would lay waste to normal hearing-aid batteries without an external power source. But it is still a step away from mobile phone nirvana.

Second, while the binaural wireless coordination between the DSP chips in each hearing aid certainly is a technological feat, I haven’t heard how well the technology actually improves the hearing experience of the person wearing them. Siemens introduced its wireless binaural technology more than a year ago, but it hardly created a ripple of excitement in the hearing loss community. I would like to be proven wrong, but I’m wondering if this technology isn’t something that looks great to engineers because it’s so sophisticated but that doesn’t deliver as much real-world benefit as originally intended. Maybe with two vendors providing similar applications there will be more general usage and we will see more positive feedback in the coming year.

Oticon Introduces Kid-Friendly Amigo FM Assistive Listening Devices

Hearing the teacher’s voice without the stress and strain of speech-reading can mean the difference between long-term success and failure in school, especially for younger children. When hearing-aid manufacturers target school-aged customers, they do well by doing good. Not only can they provide one of the most important learning aids a child can have, but they can also sign up a customer for life. Oticon has recently increased its historically strong commitment to the pediatric market with the Amigo family of wireless FM assistive listening devices. Consisting of transmitters, receivers and accessories including a choice of microphones and an adaptor for cochlear implants, the Amigo family features the latest advances in wireless hearing-aid communication and should make it easier for educators to make kids’ lives easier. Oticon has also matched its R&D investment with the commitment of a top-tier team, including the recent reassignment of U.S.-based product evangelist Maureen Doty to focus exclusively on the pediatric care market.

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