Hearing Economics

More to Them Than Meets the Eardrum Hearing aids are fast developing into all-round sensing devices, multitasking on top of sound amplification by tracking eye movement and measuring body temperature (Starkey’s patents 11223915 & 11213252); using EEG and cardiovascular signals for biofeedback (GN Hearing’s 11228849 & MindMics’ 11234069); and monitoring health in general (Google’s 11219412).  No doubt, that’s just the

Hearable is a relatively new word in our vocabulary. It’s only made the title of 6 US patents since it first appeared in 7/2019. Not until this month has a patent title specified a hearable of the type we see on the market:   Three patents aim to authenticate or detect of existing devices (Harmon,  Apple and Qualcomm) Two Facebook patents

by Amyn Amlani, PhD The Diffusion of Innovation, developed by Rogers in 1962, is a social process that occurs among people in response to learning about an innovation. In this model, diffusion involves an innovation that is communicated through various channels, over time, to members of a social system. The reader was introduced to these concepts in Parts 1 and

Dear Readers: During this holiday season, the editors at Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) are taking some time off. However, we are not leaving you without anything to read on our blog this week. Instead, we are publishing a special holiday edition filled with what we call our Readers’ Choices. Our Readers’ Choices featured this week are the posts

No Longer a Joke   Audiologists have long suffered a few standard jokes from patients, first and foremost the old “What” response to queries about hearing difficulty. Running a close second, sadly, is the one where patients ask for a device that will boost sound but  turn off their spouses.  Clinicians largely smile and ignore such standup routines, aiming to

The Sound of Music and Group Dynamics   UT’s patent 1120816 describes a natural ear to aid the “tonally challenged,” who have trouble singing on pitch or “carrying a tune.”  A wearable device (e.g., glasses, BT hearable) emphasizes the fundamental frequency sung versus the intended fundamental so that singers can detect differences and adjust their vocal organs as they sing

by Amyn Amlani, PhD In Part 1 of this series, the reader was introduced to the theory, Diffusion of Innovations (DOI; Rogers, 1962). DOI attempts to explain (i) how an idea or product or service gains momentum and diffuses (i.e., spreads) through a specific population or social system, and (ii) how categories of people (i.e., Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority,

The device in Figure 1 looks like a BTE with a p-trap attached to a flanged, pre-molded insertable earplug. It could happen, but not as it happens to improve or protect hearing. The device in Figure 1 is one of several systems proposed in Nocira LLC’s patent 11090194 to mitigate Migraine headache. The idea is to create a barrier between

by Amyn Amlani, PhD In 1962, E.M. Rogers developed a theory on how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Specifically, this theory, Diffusion of Innovations (DOI), explained how an idea or product gains momentum and diffuses (i.e., spreads) through a specific population or social system. The principle behind diffusion is that categories of people will progressively

New Ways of Thinking With  OTCs on the near horizon, players of various types and motivations continue to enter the mild to moderate hearing loss landscape. That includes Georgia Tech, with a patent for a hearing aid platform which is Cost effective, such that  low-income individuals in developing countries have access to these important technologies, is customizable based on the