We are at the beginning of a new year. A year in which technology continues to develop again. What innovations can we expect in 2021? One of our hearing care professionals fantasizes about what a hearing aid can do in 2021 …
As mentioned, the development of hearing aids is going very fast. The hearing aid manufacturers are constantly working to improve their products. This is also absolutely necessary because there is not yet a hearing aid on the market that users are 100% satisfied with. Although perfection is getting closer and closer. All the more reason for manufacturers to become even more creative!
Our hearing care professionals are told daily that conversations in company or with environmental noise still remain difficult, despite the fact that the techniques are improving and there are various accessories to improve it, a good of hearing still wins from a hearing impaired.
Hearing aids are already fully automatic nowadays. This means that the hearing aid listens in what environment it is in. The hearing aid can adapt to, for example: a large group, restaurant or in a room where the acoustics are very poor. Imagine you are in a company, the hearing aid will adapt to this situation so that speech comes through better than the surrounding sounds. If that suddenly changes the situation (a large group of people comes in or loud music is playing in the background), the hearing aid recognizes that the situation has changed and immediately adjusts again.
How does it work?
The microphones of the hearing aid are directed forward, which means that the sound from behind and the side does not come through (properly). But if you are now having a conversation with 4-5 people, it is nice that everyone’s voice is amplified. The hearing aid cannot know who you are talking to and which voice should and should not be amplified. The current hearing aids do their utmost to understand that and that works well. But of course they don’t know for sure, after all they have no eyes… ..
Therefore, it will not surprise our hearing care professionals if a hearing aid is released in the near future that can also see in addition to listening! That sounds like an unlikely thing. But that sounds like translating live in more than 20 languages too. And hearing aids can do that too.
Because a hearing aid can see what situation it is in, it would be able to adapt even better to different situations. This can ensure that speech improves in more difficult situations, but can also provide a bit of safety. A hearing aid can then see who you are or are not talking to and can focus on that even better.
Current techniques are also set for more comfort, most hearing aids contain a wind suppressor. This ensures that you are much less bothered by the wind when you are outside, but this also ensures that the noises behind are suppressed. As a result, you may not hear a bicycle bell or that you have not heard the car coming behind you. Because a hearing aid can see what is coming, it can switch on the microphones when a cyclist or car comes from behind, this ensures that you feel safer in traffic. Our hearing care professionals cannot wait for what is to come in the future, because it will only get better and more beautiful! Exciting!