Hearing aids today are very different from those worn by your granddad in the 1960s. They’re definitely not the innovative hearing solutions of the early 20th century.
How did we get from hearing trumpets to tiny, sophisticated devices?
The 17th century: Goodbye hearing trumpet
The first hearing device was the hearing trumpet. It was created in the 17th century and looked exactly like a trumpet. The hearing trumpet could only collect sound and deliver it to the ear.
The 19th Century: Concealing the trumpet
The hearing trumpet was reinvented in the 19th century. The design was embellished with repousse work, paint, and intricate engravings to make it more attractive and conceal hearing loss.
Aurolese Phones, acoustic headbands that were made of acoustic material, are very popular. There was also the Acoustic Fan and the Dentaphone. Acoustic Chairs were also very popular. They were all designed to aid those with hearing loss and disguise the devices that did so.
Hearing loss was incorrectly associated with other disabilities at the time. This created a stigma for people with hearing loss. A hearing solution that tried to hide the not-so-discreet device was attractive.
1898: Get an electronic hearing aid
The telephone was first invented in 1876. You could now send a sound signal electronically from another place. Although it took several years, the Akouphone was the first electronic hearing aid. It was created in 1898. The electric current could amplify sound.
The Akouphone was a microphone, amplifier, headphones, and a bulky, heavy battery that only lasted a few hours. It was difficult to use, unfortunately. It was also very expensive so not many people could afford it.
1900s: The first electronic hearing aids became smaller, but still very handy.
Hearing aids were much smaller in the early 20th century. The amplifier, batteries and microphone had to be worn around the neck. The microphone was handheld so that anyone speaking to you could use it as a microphone, much like a reporter today.
The microphone’s size was determined by the individual’s hearing loss. If your hearing loss is severe, you would need to have a large microphone.
1950s: Transistor radio made it easy to wear hearing aids
In the middle of the 20th century, just after the invention of the transistor radio, the next major breakthrough in hearing aids was made. Hearing aids were soon able to be worn above or below the ear, and they were much easier to carry around. Hearing aids began to look more like today’s hearing aids. In fact, you could get hearing aids that fit inside your ear canal as early as the 1960s.
1990s: Digital hearing aids (and smaller)
Hearing aid technology was analog until the 1980s. Then, things changed. Hearing aids can now convert an analog signal and process it digitally before sending an analogue signal directly to the user’s ears.
People with hearing loss can make a big difference by digitizing their hearing aids. The hearing aid’s small, programmable computer could amplify millions of sound signals and enhance the sound quality significantly over an analog one.
Today: Complete connectivity in discrete designs
Many hearing aids can connect to the internet in this century. This means that hearing aids can communicate with your smartphone, TV or phone via the internet. You can listen to music, make calls, and even hear the TV through your hearing aid – sometimes by using an assistive reading device.
Some hearing aids can even predict what you will hear in a given situation based on previous adjustments. Your connected hearing aids can communicate with your home’s lighting and coffee machine via the Internet of Things (IoT).
Although hearing aids may be small and discreet, they are still powerful little computers. They automatically process sound to provide you with the best sound possible, no matter where you are. They can detect when you want to hear speech and when it isn’t. You can customize your hearing with apps for your smartphone.
Since the invention of the hearing trumpet, hearing aids have advanced a lot. Today’s hearing aids are capable of performing millions of calculations to provide the best possible listening experience. They can transport sound since the 17th century. These aids make a significant difference for people with hearing loss and are available in many models, colors, and sizes. There are many options available – there is a hearing aid that suits your needs.
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