Last week in the Jujuy Province of Argentina, the Government of Jujuy, along with uSound and Samsung Electronics Argentina, signed an agreement to help residents of the province detect potential hearing loss and provide steps to minimize its impact. The project, called uSound for Samsung, is an initiative designed to bring technology to people with hearing loss.
The uSound Test is an application that allows users to detect their risk of hearing loss for free in about 10 minutes. The app reproduces pre-calibrated sounds that users give feedback to. The app compares the results with its database to determine which frequencies the user has difficulty with and then analyzes the auditory curve that results when the test is completed to determine the degree of risk of hearing loss.
The company, according to the announcement, specifically states that the test is not a medical diagnosis and will therefore recommend follow-up with a hearing healthcare provider when necessary.
Samsung Hearing Loss App
In the company announcement, through uSound for Samsung, the company says it hopes to use its technology and resources to:
- Raise awareness about hearing loss and improve public policies
- Avoid irreversible damage to hearing organs
- Encourage learning and cognitive development for children
- Develop speech and facilitate social inclusion
- Contribute to a more egalitarian society
Representatives from Argentina, Samsung, and uSound sign an agreement to distribute uSound for Samsung in the Jujuy province to help residents detect risk of hearing loss
“We witnessed a truly historic opportunity for our company and for Jujuy. This plan, using our technologies, will benefit many people from Jujuy and has the potential to expand to help many more people around the world. We are talking about a huge impact that grows even more with the support from Samsung and the Ministry of Health of Jujuy.” –Ezequiel Escobar, CEO and co-founder, uSound
The Government of Jujuy says it will provide support in resources and workspaces for the hearing loss-detection campaign. uSound will continue to help improve hearing experiences with its products, not only the hearing test app, but also an app it has developed that turns a cell phone into an auditory assistant (shown below):
uSound (Hearing Assistant) app. Details available here.
“uSound for Samsung reinforces our mission to offer technology with a purpose that improves quality of life. We are very proud to embark on this path and we hope to have solid results that will promote hearing accessibility in more places,” said Cynthia Giolito, Senior Manager, Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Electronics Argentina.
Source: Samsung Newsroom
