Utilizing Risk Preference to Quantify Patient Purchase Intent of Audiological Services and Technology
by Amyn M Amlani, PhD A few weeks back, I spent the afternoon shopping for clothes with my 14-year-old daughter. As we made the rounds at the local mall, I was surprised at how elaborate a consumer my daughter had become. Outfits that I assumed were a “slam-dunk” purchase were rejected, and other outfits…
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US Ear Device Patents in December 2018
Ear devices, like other wearables, continue to track multifunctionality. Two cases offer new opportunities for future add-on features and connectivity: Muzik Inc.’s wireless earbuds (Fig 1, USPTO #D835602) are indeed wireless but that’s where their resemblance to earbuds-as-we-know-them ends. Intead, they use the head as shelf space for an onboard power supply and integrated speakers, with plenty of…
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Metaphor Monologues: The Quest for Effective Treatment Options that Won’t Kill Us
The last monologue post, back in October, presented Plan B — palliative pricing in an unbundled traditional dispensing model–as a spring board for treatment, if not cure, of audiology’s “cost disease.” The disease metaphor was coined by famous economist William Baumol to frame the price problem faced by industries/professions where cost of technology decreases over…
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US Ear Device Patents in November 2018
Once again, communications giants weigh in on the November patent list, which features wearable audio devices from Google and Samsung (0129635 and 10123137) and audio processing for people with hearing loss by Dolby Labs (#10136240). Ears, Fingers, Eyes and Toes Time was, grownups maneuvered through life with ears, eyes, hands and feet. Hands and…
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US Ear Device Patents in October 2018
As long as people have been wearing hearing aids, and as long as audiologists have been fitting and tailoring them to individual users, there has always been one intractable problem. That is that hearing aids are standalone devices with (relatively) high IQs and (lamentably) low EQs. What is the Intelligence of Smart Hearing Devices?…
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