$1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
sciencemag.org
$1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
1–10 of 200 posts
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#2Ok I will bit, I want to build this and redistribute in Africa, I lack technical knowledge to do this, what is best approach?
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#3Ok I will bit, I want to build this and redistribute in Africa, I lack technical knowledge to do this, what is best approach?
Talk to a Chinese factory on what’s the lowest price they’ll sell you the hearing aids for that they already make at near-cost prices.
The article is literally a “my first soldering project” combining an OTS microphone amp module with an R-C high pass filter. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rechargeable-Digital-Hearing-Aid-...
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#4Ok I will bit, I want to build this and redistribute in Africa, I lack technical knowledge to do this, what is best approach?
Step one is to come in contact with an electrical/industrial engineer who will be able to assist you in the manufacturing aspects.
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#5Ok I will bit, I want to build this and redistribute in Africa, I lack technical knowledge to do this, what is best approach?
Talk to a Chinese factory on what’s the lowest price they’ll sell you the hearing aids for that they already make at near-cost prices. The article is literally a “my first soldering project” combining an OTS microphone amp module with an R-C high pass filter. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rechargeable-Digital-Hearing-Aid-...
The $1 figure in the headline is clickbait as it’s only the cost of components for the PCB. Add the PCB + mechanical components + battery + plastic enclosure + assembly + testing + factory margin + overhead and it would be a miracle to come under the cost of existing low-cost hearing aids.
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#6Ok I will bit, I want to build this and redistribute in Africa, I lack technical knowledge to do this, what is best approach?
Say you want a order of 10 million made up for a name brand company to a Chinese company.
Send in the plans for them to check. Put on an expensive looking logo and paperwork.
Done.
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#7Hearing aids (nor cochlear implants, for that matter) do not "restore hearing", except for light hearing loss. They are only like crutches (not even wheelchair). For example, to follow conversations or phone/skype with multiple people is very exhausting even with fancy device, because in most cases the "bandwidth" to the brain just isn't available.
That said, the hearing aids vendor lock-in is really atrocious and can use a disruption. They don't like users configuring the aids themselves, you are expected to make appointments with audiologist - in fact several of them because every hearing loss is different and it's hard to exactly measure, so usually the aids won't fit on first or second try. The algorithms are strictly proprietary - when there's 40dB difference between responses to different frequencies such as I have, usual equalizer won't do. To enable bluetooth the rule is to buy expensive add-on streamer.
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#8The blueprints are hosted on github: https://github.com/bhamla-lab/LoCHAid-2020-PLOS-ONE
Edit: there is also a video showing the building process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0gnbOJ3nDo
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#9Based on the MAX9814 chip, which costs 0.75 USD in 2.5K volume, leaving 0.25 USD for everything else. The design is not integrated much (many connectors), so assembly costs will be high. It also requires 2xAA batteries as a consumable, which consumer has to pay as well.
So this is not a 1 USD hearing aid in any way. And if current units are 500 USD, then going down to 50 or 10 USD would already be a huge improvement.
Re: $1 hearing aid could treat millions with hearing loss
#10Too bad we live in the kind of world where the biggest hearing aid manufacturer will read this, raise additional capital, buy the patent & rights to the $1 hearing aid and then sell hearing aids for $5,000 each they'll bill to medicare and big health insurance co.