IPhone-connected hearing aids are just the beginning.
Dick Loizeaux recently found himself meandering through a noisy New York nightclub. This was unusual; Mr. Loizeaux, a 65-year-old former pastor, began suffering hearing loss nearly a decade ago, and nightclubs are not really his scene. “They’re the absolute worst place to hear anybody talk,” he said.
But this time was different. Mr. Loizeaux had gone to the club to test out the GN ReSound Linx, one of two new models of advanced hearing aids that can be adjusted precisely through software built into Apple’s iPhone. When he entered the club, Mr. Loizeaux tapped on his phone to switch his hearing aids into “restaurant mode.” The setting amplified the sound coming from the hearing aids’ forward-facing microphones, reducing background noise. To play down the music, he turned down the hearing aids’ bass level and bumped up the treble. Then, as he began chatting with a person standing to his left, Mr. Loizeaux tapped his phone to favor the microphone in his left hearing aid, and to turn down the one in his right ear.
The results were striking. “After a few adjustments, I was having a comfortable conversation in a nightclub,” Mr. Loizeaux told me during a recent phone interview — a phone call he would have had difficulty making with his older hearing aids. “My wife was standing next to me in the club and she was having trouble having the same conversation, and she has perfect hearing.”
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the latest crop of advanced hearing aids are better than the ears most of us were born with. The devices can stream phone calls and music directly to your ears from your phone. They can tailor their acoustic systems to your location; when the phone detects that you have entered your favorite sports bar, it adjusts the hearing aids to that environment.
The hearing aids even let you transform your phone into an extra set of ears. If you’re chatting with your co-worker across a long table, set the phone in front of her, and her words will stream directly to your ears.
When I recently tried out the Linx and the Halo, another set of iPhone-connected hearing aids made by the American hearing aid company Starkey, I was floored. Wearing these hearing aids was like giving my ears a software upgrade. For the first time, I had fine-grain control over my acoustic environment, the sort of bionic capability I never realized I had craved. I’m 35 and I have normal hearing. But if I could, I’d wear these hearing aids all the time.
IPhone-connected hearing aids are just the beginning.
Today most people who wear hearing aids, eyeglasses, prosthetic limbs and other accessibility devices do so to correct a disability. But new hearing aids point to the bionic future of disability devices.
As they merge with software baked into our mobile computers, devices that were once used simply to fix whatever ailed us will begin to do much more. In time, accessibility devices may even let us surpass natural human abilities. One day all of us, not just those who need to correct some physical deficit, may pick up a bionic accessory or two.
“There is a way in which this technology will give people with hearing loss the ability to outperform their normal-hearing counterparts,” said Dave Fabry, Starkey’s vice president for audiology and professional relations.
The Latest on: Bionic Future
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Bionic Future” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Bionic Future
- Upgrade movie ending explained: What was STEM's endgame?on May 17, 2024 at 11:28 am
It then got rid of Eron and anyone else who posed a threat, securing its place as a powerful bionic being. STEM played everyone like ... The movie implies that STEM might go after other competitors in ...
- Netflix Trailer for Brazilian Dystopian Sci-Fi Movie 'Bionic' Set in 2035on May 15, 2024 at 10:55 am
"We're gonna change the world, Maria." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for an upcoming sci-fi movie called Bionic, the first Brazilian (sci-fi) movie of its kind produced by Netflix, ...
- Bionic, Brazilian SF film about the impact of robotic prostheses on sport on Netflixon May 15, 2024 at 4:30 am
Bionic, a Brazilian action film exploring the impact of robotic prosthetics on sport, available May 29, 2024 on Netflix.
- Next-Generation iPad Air With M3 Chip Already Rumoredon May 14, 2024 at 5:36 am
Apple's next iPad Air will use an M3 processor, according to details posted on X earlier today by a private account with a proven track record ...
- Bionic ‘backbone’: Modern makes bold move to new TMS platformon May 10, 2024 at 7:52 am
Pennsylvania-based carrier with a legacy of equipment and technology innovation chooses BeyondTrucks for future-focused bulk transportation management ...
- Manta ray-shaped bionic fish unveiled in Shanghaion May 9, 2024 at 1:54 am
An intelligent soft-bodied bionic fish, in the shape of a manta ray and named Wen Yao, was unveiled by Shanghai Ocean University last month after over 10 years' research and development.
- Apple announces new iPad Air 2024 in 11- and 13-inch sizeson May 7, 2024 at 11:07 am
Apple has officially announced its brand new iPad Air for 2024 at its May 7 ' Let Loose' event . The new tablet comes in two sizes for the very first time with an 11-inch model joined by an all-new 13 ...
- Why Are Xeris Biopharma Shares Moving Monday?on May 6, 2024 at 8:37 am
Xeris Biopharma shares are up Monday after the company announced an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement with Beta Bionics. Xeris said it will work with Beta Bionics to develop and ...
- Bionic Eye Market CAGR of 12.7%, Future Looks Bright for Market Size with Soaring Projectionson May 5, 2024 at 2:45 pm
Bionic Eye Market is valued at approximately USD 183.5 million in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 12.7% over the forecast period 2020-2027. Bionic eye, also ...
- The best iPhone 15 Pro deals for May 2024on May 2, 2024 at 7:53 am
Yes, it's not a complete re-invention of the tried-and-true Apple formula, but the present improvements are well thought out and welcome - particularly the new A17 Bionic Pro chipset. If you want ...
via Bing News