Keep an eye on these tech breakthroughs in the new year.
Like many other areas of healthcare and science, with a new year comes exciting new breakthroughs and hearing loss innovations. It can be enlightening to follow along with the projects in development where scientists, researchers, audiologists, and patients come together to create new tools, approaches, and devices to make daily life more accessible for people with hearing loss.
Some of the exciting new developments in the community and some that show great promise for the future are listed here. If you have any questions about these devices or their uses or want to try them out for yourself once they’re widely available, reach out to your doctor or audiologist to see if they might have more information or recommendations.
Rechargeable batteries
As battery life improves, so does the length of time you have between recharges for your hearing aids or other assistive devices if you use them. Before rechargeable batteries, hearing aids and other devices were powered by single-use batteries; these can get expensive and are often not eco-friendly for the long-term usage many people prefer. With the invention of rechargeable batteries, the lifespan has increased, and each year, the technology gets better and better.
You may notice with newer batteries that you won’t have to recharge them as often, which allows for longer and uninterrupted use of your hearing aids and assistive listening devices. It’s one less thing that you have to worry about. In addition, when traveling, it’s much easier to keep one simple recharging cord handy rather than worrying about how many spare batteries to take. It’s a huge lifestyle improvement that will continue to improve each year!
Improved accessibility
One hearing loss innovation that has occurred since late 2022 and will continue to improve in 2024 is the availability of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Only a few companies have entered the OTC market to date, but the industry anticipates that more demand will create a competitive market that could lead to improvements in hearing aid functionality and a lowered price point.
Both the ease of getting an OTC hearing aid and the potential reduced price could lead to hearing aids being more readily available to individuals who have an interest in using them but may not have had access before.
Increased connectivity and functionality
As with all tech-related items, time and a continuous process of updating and adding features and functionalities results in an improved user experience. It’s no different with your hearing aids, speech-to-text device, or even other accessibility tools in your home that you may have to assist in your hearing loss.
Increased compatibility, machine learning, and more connectivity can all help you have a better experience with your devices. For example, many hearing aids are now able to connect to more devices than before as the software is improved; you may be able to connect your hearing aids directly to your phone, computer, or TV to get the sound played directly into your ears.
Cochlear implant updates
Another significant hearing loss innovation that we will continue to see in 2024 is cochlear implant updates. With many implants, the processor is located externally, so your doctor, audiologist, or other health provider will be able to update the software to the latest version, even if you underwent surgery years ago. As improvements happen (and they do fairly regularly), you’ll be able to benefit as those new updates are installed.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (also called AI) can be a bit of a hot-button topic, but there’s no denying that it can have huge impacts on the world around us and can even help the hearing loss community. Implementing a newer, more powerful version of AI can help with voice-to-text accuracy, record and transcribe class or meeting notes more fluidly and rapidly, and better assist people with hearing loss as they interface with the world around them. There have been several recent advancements made in this sphere, and there are sure to be plenty more exciting new breakthroughs in 2024 and beyond.
While this is not an all-encompassing list of the exciting hearing loss innovations happening this year, there is plenty to be excited about! Doing some research on some of the technology and trends in the hearing loss community that interest you can be a great way to meet new people and talk about some of the new trends you see impacting your life in the most positive way.
For more hearing health and technology information, keep reading the CapTel blog!
