Proof-of-concept for a new ultra-low-cost hearing aid for age-related
hearing loss

Date:
September 23, 2020
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
A new ultra-affordable and accessible hearing aid made from
open-source electronics could soon be available worldwide, according
to a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new ultra-affordable and accessible hearing aid made from open-source electronics could soon be available worldwide, according to a study
published September 23, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by
Soham Sinha from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia, US,
and colleagues.


========================================================================== Hearing aids are a major tool for individuals with hearing loss
-- especially age-related hearing loss, which currently affects
approximately 226 million adults over the age of 65 worldwide (and is
projected to affect 900 million by 2050). However, hearing aid adoption
remains relatively low among adults: fewer than 3 percent of adults in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC) use hearing aids, versus around
20 percent of adults in non-LMIC countries. Though various reasons
contribute to this poor uptake, cost is a significant factor. While the
price to manufacture hearing aids has decreased over time, the retail
price for a pair of hearing aids ranges from $1,000 to $8,000 USD,
with the average pair costing $4,700 in the US.

In this study, Sinha and colleagues used mass-produced open source
electronics to engineer a durable, affordable, self-serviceable hearing
aid that meets most of the targets set by the WHO for mild-to-moderate age-related hearing loss: "LoCHAid." When mass-produced at 10,000 units including earphones, a coin-cell battery, and holder, LoCHAid costs
$0.98 (this doesn't include labor costs) and is designed to be marketed over-the-counter -- or even as a DIY project.

LoCHAid doesn't require specialty parts, and repairs can be completed by a minimally skilled user with access to a soldering iron and solder. Though
it's not currently programmable, simulations show that the LoCHAid is
well fitted to a range of age-related hearing loss profiles for men and
women between the ages of 60-79 years.

Potential limitations include the device lifetime (currently 1.5
years), as well as its relatively large size, which may not appeal to
all consumers. The authors are currently working on a smaller prototype,
but this costs more money to produce and would likely require third-party assemblers.

Despite these limitations, LoCHAid shows great potential to benefit
individuals impacted by age-related hearing loss, especially those
consumers challenged by the affordability and accessibility of current
hearing aids available on the market.

The authors add: "In this work, we describe the development and rigorous audiological testing a minimal, 3d-printed and ultra low-cost ($1 in
parts) hearing aid. The vision of the device is to make hearing aid
accessible and affordable for elderly individuals with age related
hearing loss in low- and middle-income countries."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Soham Sinha, Urvaksh D. Irani, Vinaya Manchaiah, M. Saad
Bhamla. LoCHAid:
An ultra-low-cost hearing aid for age-related hearing loss. PLOS
ONE, 2020; 15 (9): e0238922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238922 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923143552.htm

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