Thanks to innovators like the late Steve Jobs, the look and feel of a design is just as important as the technology behind it. Take hearing aids, for example. Most people who need them refuse to wear them because they have a functional appearance that, to the users, implies a defect. The common thought about hearing aids is that “they are for old people.”

Eric Olson, Director of Design at product innovation consultancy Karten Design, explored a new approach for the look of hearing aids with Starkey Laboratories, which develops high-tech hearing aid technology. Together, the two are introducing a line of hearing aids that transcend common stereotypes.

“One of the things we learned,” noted Olson, “is that users have a negative perception of hearing aids. There is still a lot of stigma attached to wearing one. There are more than 35 million people in North America with hearing loss, but only 25% of them wear hearing aids. Despite the amazing technology inside the device, people don't want to be reminded of their age and don't want others to know they have a hearing problem.”

Karten Design was tasked with matching Starkey’s advanced technology with an appealing exterior. The hearing aids needed to be “beautiful in the hand and invisible behind the ear.” The design team handled the first requirement with ease, introducing a stylish form language with complex surfacing.

The curved spine of the S Series features capacitive controls – much like an iPhone touch screen. Users only need a quick swipe of the finger to adjust the device – a much less conspicuous gesture than the fiddling with tiny dials or push buttons.

The look of invisibility

Making an attractive form visually inconspicuous at the same time presented more of a design challenge, Olson says. The flesh-toned plastic of traditional hearing aids was never quite convincing as skin; older designs arguably advertise hearing loss more than concealing it. Karten Design’s approach was not to match skin tone but instead attempt a sort of camouflage.

“We did a study into what colors and what types of finishes blend the best with hair and skin. We narrowed the options down to several multi-tone metallic finishes, which would pick up the naturally occurring highlights in hair and complement skin tone.”

Karten Design went about its color study digitally. The team started with standard plastic finishes that came pre-mixed in Luxion KeyShot. Designers then tweaked its mix levels to produce a narrow spectrum of custom finish options.

“We did a lot in tuning and retuning of those finishes, making tiny variances in gloss levels or adding metallic flake,” says Olson. “We showed the client a series of renderings of the entire design, each with subtle changes in tone from part to part, which gives the piece an illusion of depth to further mask its appearance.

“It was definitely an unusual exploration of color options. We were tinkering with 17 different colors of silver, three of which are all applied to the model at the same time.”

Automotive styling one-inch high

“This was also the team’s first project using KeyShot, which was well suited to our needs. It was sort of ironic we had just adopted this powerful rendering program, and for our first job we’re using it very intensively on a piece of plastic less than one inch high. We got the sense the software was set up to handle something the size of a car and here we are using it for something the size of a nickel,” says Olsen.

“But just because our hearing aids are small does not mean they were simple. Our automotive-inspired design language introduced taut, precise surfaces and a smooth, sculpted profile. They’re really tailored with a level of detail befitting a product of a much larger scale.”

Automotive-style rendering came in handy not just on constructing finish palettes, but also when assessing the feasibility of manufacture.

“For something this small, we have to tune the tooling for the plastic parts to accommodate even the clear coat and undercoat, because we’re dealing with gaps down to a fraction of a millimeter,” Olson says.

“You can use the rendering process to truly evaluate surfaces and tune surfacing down to this level of precision. In our discussions with engineers, we were able to reference high-resolution images, showing them exactly the kind of detail we needed both in the tooling and the finish.”

For the millions of hearing impaired people, S Series has transformed a stigmatized experience. Hearing aid customers can look at their purchase the same way they would a pair of eyeglass frames.

In every day use, observers might not even notice a device behind the ear at all. And if they do, they might suspect it’s some sort of high-end headset, phone accessory, or other cool digital gadget. Users who are still young at heart will want to keep them guessing.

KeyShot
www.keyshot.com

Karten Design
www.kartendesign.com

http://www.designworldonline.com/articles/8115/4/Reversing-Perceptions--How-to-Make-Hearing-Aids--Cool-.aspx

A study by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has shown that those suffering from stress, particularly long term stress, are twice as likely to suffer from tinnitus. This study comes at a timely junction what with Tinnitus Awareness Week just around the corner.

The effects of tinnitus and stress are something that we at Digital Hearing Care anecdotally have been aware of from comments our clients have told us over the years, the more stressed they feel the more prevalent the tinnitus that is already there seems to increase in intensity.

In the study, the test subjects were exposed to stressful situations, for example answering questions while at the same time being interrupted. After the test, blood tests were taken as were new hearing tests. The blood tests tested for levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone which is activated in stressful situations and animal tests have shown that cortisol affects hearing.

“We found that tinnitus is 2.5 times more prevalent in people who are under long-term stress,” says Professor Barbera Canlon, who was one of the people leading the research.

Another interesting point of note was that hearing speech in noise was worse with the group that was exposed to stress. You could draw the conclusion that stress can lead to tinnitus and tinnitus can lead to stress, a bit of a vicious circle.

At Digital Hearing Care we have found that wearing hearing aids can lessen the prominence of tinnitus while you are wearing them, although not everybody gets a reduction in the perception of tinnitus it is quite common. For some the beneficial effects of wearing hearing aids to reduce tinnitus are very marked.

Most people that suffer from tinnitus also have some degree of hearing loss, although not exclusively so.

This article is based on information provided by hear-it.org a web site that has been established to increase public awareness of hearing impairment.

I have been using this ear hygiene treatment http://www.smarthearing.co.uk/earol-olive-oil-spray-x-10ml-127-p.asp and have carried on using it to prevent any build up in the future, I would give it a go

More teens experience hearing loss
Due to loud music played through ear buds


(FOX Providence) - There are a growing number of teens experiencing hearing loss due to excessively loud music played through ear buds and headphones.

Michael Andreozzi, President of Beltone New England , joined The Rhode Show with important information for parents.

Why should people be concerned with hearing loss?

There has been an overall 31% increase in hearing loss this year alone in adolescents aged 12 to 19. Currently, 1 in 5 teens has a hearing loss, which is incredibly substantial.
What many people are not aware of is that Hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic condition behind arthritis and hypertension.

This is a concerning issue since a large number of people wait 15 years or more from the time they first recognize they have a hearing loss, to the point where they seek out professional attention.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders, approximately 32.5 million Americans have a hearing loss (1 in 10)
• 1 in 6 baby boomers have a hearing loss
• 1 in 4 people over age 65 have a hearing loss
• 1 in 2 over the age of 75 have a hearing loss

People lose their hearing gradually over time, so symptoms are often hard to notice, which means that many times it is those around us who notice first.

What most people do not understand is that hearing aids have the ability to help amplify the hearing you have left, but they do not have the ability to restore hearing you have lost. That is why taking action sooner rather than later is so vital to your hearing health and quality of life.

What are some of the warning signs of hearing loss?

You think other people sound muffled or are mumbling
You require frequent repetition of sounds and conversations
You have difficulty hearing in noisy situations, like restaurants and malls
You have trouble hearing children’s and women’s voices
You have the TV and radio turned up to high volumes
You answer or respond inappropriately in conversations

Studies have linked untreated hearing loss to:
• Irritability, negativism and anger
• Fatigue, tension, stress and depression
• Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
• Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety
• Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks
• Reduced job performance and earning power
• Diminished psychological and overall health , and even Dementia

According to a study done by the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing, researchers suggest.

The findings could lead to new ways to combat dementia, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide and carries heavy societal burdens.

Are there ways people can work to prevent hearing loss?

Preventing hearing loss boils down to becoming educated about safe and unsafe sound levels.

Safe Sounds:
• Daily conversation: 60 dB
• Daily conversation: 60 dB
• Telephone ring: 65 dB
• Alarm clock/Motor traffic/Vacuum Cleaner: 80 dB

Dangerous Noises:
• Lawnmower: 90 dB
• Chainsaw/Drills: 100 dB
• Live rock Music at a concert or club: 100 to 130 dB
• MP3 player ear buds: 100 dB and greater
• Sandblasting: 120 dB
• Gunshots: 150 to 170 dB

One of the biggest causes of adolescent hearing loss is the use of iPod and MP3 devices.

In fact, listening to earbuds, or in-ear headphones, for 90 minutes a day at 80% volume is probably safe for long-term hearing — a useful cutoff point to keep in mind. (But softer is better: you can safely tune in at 70% volume for about 4½ hours a day.)

The risk of permanent hearing loss can increase with just five minutes of exposure a day to music at full volume.

Over time, the noise can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that transform sound waves to the electrical signals that the brain understands as sound. definitely monitoring volume of music devices will save your hearing in the long-term.

Also, working around any machinery or loud noises can also cause long-term damage. It is best to have your hearing tested annually in order to accurately monitor your hearing levels.

Only about 14% of people actually have their hearing tested at the time of the annual physical exam!

Noise Induced Hearing Loss - Deafness due to loud noises leads to sensorineural hearing loss, which means areas of the inner ear have been destroyed.

With this type of loss, those afflicted can typically only hear very loud sounds or voices. This loss is caused by frequent exposure to sounds greater than 85 decibels (dB), and is different from conductive hearing loss, which results from damage build-up of ear wax, ear disorders, or a punctured ear drum. Noise-induced hearing loss can be prevented by using the decibel guide below to regulate exposure to sounds that are too loud.

Noise-induced hearing loss is a particular hazard for workers in jobs where perpetually loud sounds cannot be avoided. Steelworkers, musicians, construction workers, and military soldiers are just some of the professionals at risk for sensorineural hearing loss.

Wearing ear plugs and ear covers can reduce exposure by up to 30 decibels for these workers. Protective gear can be bought at drug stores and hardware stores.

Online:
http://www.beltonene.com

Hi

If it is really bad the best thing to do would be to go to your doctor and get your ears syringed.

Hope this answers your question.