Why Lantos Technologies’ Search For The Perfect Earmold Is A Game-Changer For The Hearing Aid And High-End Audio Industries

Lantos Technologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts startup company working with patented technology developed at MIT, is on a quest for the perfect ear mold fitting.

With $1.6 million in venture capital funding, the company is developing a unique scanner that will create an exact digital image of the inner ear, enabling ear mold manufacturers to produce hearing-aid shells, earphones, and other in-ear devices that provide a perfect custom fit for the wearer.

If Lantos is successful, its product could be a game-changer not only for the hearing-aid industry, but also for makers of a broad array of high-end audio electronics and hearing protection equipment. Perfect-fitting earmolds enabled by the Lantos scanner could pave the way for entirely new consumer products that are currently impractical to bring to bring to market, because the cost of ensuring an accurate fit for every user would be prohibitive.

Audiologists and hearing-aid customers put up with the necessary evil of taking ear mold impressions for hearing aids and other select products only when they must, because there is currently no alternative. Getting a good ear mold is a messy process that involves injecting soft silicone putty into your ear down to within millimeters of your ear drum, leaving it there for several minutes until it starts to dry and harden, and then pulling it out and sending it to an ear mold manufacturer. All the while you keep your fingers crossed, hoping the impression doesn’t have so many flaws that you have to perform the procedure all over again. Read more

Yes, You Can Buy Premium-Quality Digital Hearing Aids Over The Internet

I recently got a new pair of hearing aids, and I’m as excited as if I’d just bought a new sports car. One of the reasons I’m so happy is that I was able to take ownership of the process for the first time by getting them from America Hears, Inc., which sells and supports hearing-aid consumers directly over the internet. Read more

Invisible CIC Hearing Aids, High-Fashion Italian Designer Shoes, And Me

Buying a pair of hearing aids can be like shopping for a new pair of expensive designer shoes: you’ve got to get exactly the right fit; they have to be sturdy and comfortable enough to wear all day; but you want them to look really good as well. It’s not an easy combination, especially the part about looking good. Read more

Ear Gear Keeps Hearing Aids Safe And Secure

When I was five years old, my winter jacket had a pair of discreet retractable straps inside the sleeves with clips on the end that latched onto my mittens. I have no doubt that without the clips I would have spent many an unpleasant hour rummaging through the lost-and-found box looking for my misplaced mitts. Now a new company in Canada is applying the same principal to hearing aids, with a line of colorful, kid- and adult-friendly protectors for behind-the-ear hearing aids. Read more