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Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

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Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#31

Post by abdullahkhalids »

Amasuriel wrote: post #15
obarthelemy wrote: post #8

It doesn't even need to be a startup: hearing aids are techically inferior to mid-range earbuds, yet cost more than 10x more. I'm guessing it's a certification+distribution issue, like for smartphones in the US. I've heard Bose has something in test though ?

It’s not quite the same, many people with hearing loss only lose hearing on part of the spectrum, so it’s not just about making things louder, it’s about making the specific frequencies louder in ratio to the loudness of the noise.

which is quite similar to the challenge of active noise cancellation. It's not a technology issue per se. Just adapting current tech to this domain.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#32

Post by janeerie »

colechristensen wrote: post #28
SkyPuncher wrote: post #25

Most startups are not technical problems. Hearing aids are no different. There is a stigma with hearing aids. You have to get over both the internal ego and the external stigma. For many people, that means admitting they're aging and "need help". Frankly, it really doesn't matter how amazing the hardware is. That's just an incredibly challenging problem to overcome.

Nobody cares when I wear AirPods all over the place, they actually (almost) work like hearing aids and definitely could with some software tweaks alone, even more so with minor hardware tweaks. Get somebody to design hearing aids that are meant to be noticed instead of badly hidden.

You can get over-the-ear hearing aids in plenty of colors. This is not where the gap lies.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#33

Post by transcriptase »

I’ve worked in the industry, and try to remember that people’s hearing can change rapidly and customers are finicky so your novel tech will need to be adjusted by someone who isn’t about to learn a tech stack for one line of products. We had patients that would come in every couple of weeks for years, asking for slight changes to their frequency range.

The hearing aids themselves will be physically abused. Worn in saunas, get packed with ear wax, be left in freezing temps, get chewed up by pets, stepped on, dropped into sinks and toilets. It’s actually incredible that most are repairable despite all of that, without even needing to return to the manufacturer.

They also need to be usable by those with limited mobility and no ability to use tech, and relatives with no idea what to do except replace the battery and put them in the ears.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#35

Post by hackernewds »

methodical wrote: post #10
iamblue wrote: post #3

Hello, my name is Blue. I am also severely hearing loss. We have developed hearing aids, but we are currently only sold in Taiwan. Other countries will start selling them this year(FDA approved). If you are interested, you can follow otoadd ( https://otoadd.com/index-en.html )

Out of curiosity, what made you target Taiwan first? Was it a geographical reason, or was it because of regulatory reasons?

they are a Taiwanese founders and company. the US is not the axis of the world :)

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#36

Post by bimguy »

methodical wrote: post #10
iamblue wrote: post #3

Hello, my name is Blue. I am also severely hearing loss. We have developed hearing aids, but we are currently only sold in Taiwan. Other countries will start selling them this year(FDA approved). If you are interested, you can follow otoadd ( https://otoadd.com/index-en.html )

Out of curiosity, what made you target Taiwan first? Was it a geographical reason, or was it because of regulatory reasons?

Odd that your curiosity wouldn't just take you to the website they linked which would have told you the answer.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#37

Post by lathiat »

jeremiahbuckley wrote: post #26
Amasuriel wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not quite the same, many people with hearing loss only lose hearing on part of the spectrum, so it’s not just about making things louder, it’s about making the specific frequencies louder in ratio to the loudness of the noise.

I am very ignorant about this, but couldn’t this be solved with a config where you specify “hearing loss at these frequencies at these levels” and then the headphones increase/decrease this frequencies in response? Obviously, there needs to be a standard, and hw that listens to the standard.

It could. Apple AirPods actually support this (using a real "Audiogram") but annoyingly they currently "average" your two ears and don't apply an ear-specific correction. Which for someone like me with perfect hearing on one side and supposedly "Mild" but realistically quite significant hearing loss on the other side is a real pain.

There are already quite a few products in this space: Bose HearPhones Nuheara .. and many more.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#38

Post by jeremiahbuckley »

lathiat wrote: post #37
jeremiahbuckley wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am very ignorant about this, but couldn’t this be solved with a config where you specify “hearing loss at these frequencies at these levels” and then the headphones increase/decrease this frequencies in response? Obviously, there needs to be a standard, and hw that listens to the standard.

It could. Apple AirPods actually support this (using a real "Audiogram") but annoyingly they currently "average" your two ears and don't apply an ear-specific correction. Which for someone like me with perfect hearing on one side and supposedly "Mild" but realistically quite significant hearing loss on the other side is a real pain. There are already quite a few products in this space: Bose HearPhones Nuheara .. and…

Awesome to discover this, a necessary but not sufficient step to improving competition and choice.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#39

Post by qingdao99 »

voakbasda wrote: post #18
iamblue wrote: post #3

Hello, my name is Blue. I am also severely hearing loss. We have developed hearing aids, but we are currently only sold in Taiwan. Other countries will start selling them this year(FDA approved). If you are interested, you can follow otoadd ( https://otoadd.com/index-en.html )

Hypothetically could one go to Taiwan and buy a pair while on vacation? Asking for a friend…

You could probably find a company or a person in Taiwan to ship them to you from Taiwan.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there more hearing aid startups?

#40

Post by adinisom »

Not sure but can mention some challenges:

- The power budget of a traditional HA is ~1mW and operate on ~1V. Existing vendors use custom silicon with sub-threshold designs to hit this. I see this as one of their largest moats. Lipo rechargeable wearables work around this problem.

- Customers for your product want their hearing back, and that's not something HAs realistically provide. So selling them is pretty weird as your customer isn't going to be completely satisfied and newer HAs won't improve much along this dimension. On the other hand you can sell "comfort" via noise reduction, bluetooth streaming, and whatever technology buzzwords you can fit on a brochure.

- But can my fancier DSP algorithms improve speech understanding in noise? Maybe, but you've got a 10ms latency budget in which to do so. Hard to compete with the human brain which can cheat and backdate perceptions into the past.

- FM systems, on the other hand, can dramatically improve speech understanding by eliminating noise and echoes. Right now it's only a fit for situations where you can mic the speaker. Traditional HA companies have a hand in making these.

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