Locally developed hearing aid cuts through the noise -- and masks -- with help of AI

[SheltieLover]

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/locally-developed-hearing-aid-cuts-through-the-noise-and-masks-with-help-of-ai/?amp

The “AI” stands for artificial intelligence. According to Starkey, the hearing aid is constantly adjusting with the AI technology, with up to “55 million personalized adjustments every hour.”

“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Dr. Dave Fabry, chief innovation officer with Starkey, said about the line of Evolv AI hearing aids. “We had no idea that we were developing it for something that would become such a part of our lives now two years later.”

By either double-tapping the hearing aid or initiating it through a smartphone app, people engage “Edge Mode,” which directs the hearing aid to focus in on speech and drown out some of the background noise.

Snip

The hearing aid also allows people to listen to music through them, take phone calls, track physical activity and will send an alert to designated emergency contacts if the user falls down.

More at link.

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Hmmm...if this truly works, then this is good. My hearing aids are the same way, they measure the

frequencies that you are missing, hearing-wise, and adjust accordingly. Occasionally, you would have to go back in and recalibrate.

However, feedback, both verbal/human, and other feedback (cars, etc. in the background) have always been a problem.

[SheltieLover]

2. I'm crowd deaf in one ear

But guessing these are mega $. 😏

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Ha ha heh. Crowds are the worse for me too. I love your term 'crowd deaf', it's very

appropriate.

[SheltieLover]

4. Thx!

Not only makes it difficult to hear, but distorts sounds.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. The article makes it sound like a little local company did this

Starkey is one of the giants responsible for keeping the prices of hearing aids so high.

[Auggie]

6. The $64,000 question (literally): how much? And how soon will they need to be replaced?

Someday, and I hope that day is not very far off, Starkey and company will face serious competition from upstarts not beholden to corporate earnings and dividends.

[SheltieLover]

7. No idea.

I never expect to be able to afford anyrhing health-related, tbh. Seems to be reserved for those quite well to do.

I hope you are right! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Auggie]

8. FYI: the (more) affordable Apple AirPods Pro

There's been some buzz about them on this board and throughout the internet so I bought a pair on sale from Costco ($205 with tax) to test against the Rexton behind-the-ear brand, also from Costco ($1900). They're not true hearing aids. But (and this is really cool) you can load your hearing test into the iOS health app and it will adjust the AirPods output accordingly. Turn on "Live Listen" and the AirPods become "hearing aids." They work pretty well. Not on par, perhaps, as a $5000 Starkey (or even the $1900 Rexton), but at a fraction of the price they're better than nothing.

[SheltieLover]

9. That's fabulous!

Glad it works for you!

[Auggie]

10. Thanks. To be fair, the $1900 pair works a little better ...

plus they're designed to be indiscreet, fitting behind and mostly inside the ear canal unlike the AirPods.

[SheltieLover]

11. Well of course

But ~$200 vs $199 is a huge factor for many people!