These days, countless individuals wear hearing aids each day to be able to hear better. This is nothing new, even though the technology has undeniably come a long way. Available in numerous shapes, sizes, and even colors, today’s hearing aids only weigh a few ounces when they used to weigh several pounds! They’re not only more convenient these days, but they offer the user plenty more advantages, such as the ability to hook up to Bluetooth and even filter out background noise. Here we provide you with a short history of hearing aids and how far they have come.
These days, countless individuals wear hearing aids each day to be able to hear better. This is nothing new, even though the technology has undeniably come a long way. Available in numerous shapes, sizes, and even colors, today’s hearing aids only weigh a few ounces when they used to weigh several pounds! They’re not only more convenient these days, but they offer the user plenty more advantages, such as the ability to hook up to Bluetooth and even filter out background noise. Here we provide you with a short history of hearing aids and how far they have come.Initial Breakthroughs
Over 300 years ago in the 17th century, something referred to as the ear trumpet was invented. These were most suitable to those who only had partial hearing problems. They were large, awkward and only worked to amplify sound in the immediate environment. Envision an old-time phonograph with the conical sphere and you’ll understand what they looked like. They were more popular as the calendar spilled over to the 18th century, with many variations made for the very wealthy, such as the Reynolds Trumpet custom made for the famed painter Joshua Reynolds. This horn-shaped instrument in essence just funneled sound into the inner ear.
New Possibilities
The hearing devices of the 17th and 18th centuries delivered only minimal amplification benefits. When the 19th century rolled around, far more possibilities emerged with electrical technologies. In fact, it was the development of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 that generated the advancement leading to electrical transmission of speech. Stimulated by this invention, Thomas Edison invented the carbon transmitter for the telephone in 1878 which improved upon the basics of the telephone and actually boosted the electrical signal to augment hearing.
Vacuum Tubes
Next up were vacuum tubes, produced by Western Electric Co., in New York City in 1920. This company improved upon the technology found in Lee De Forest’s finding of the three-component tube just a few years earlier. These devices supplied not only better amplification but also better frequency. The early models were quite big, but the size was reduced to the size of a small box attached to a receiver not many years later. It was still very inconvenient and didn’t offer the versatility and level of comfort of the hearing aids to come.
First Wearable Products
The first devices that could actually be put on semi-comfortably were made by a Chicago electronics manufacturer in the late 1930s. They featured a thin wire attached to an earpiece and receiver, together with a battery pack that clipped to the user’s leg. More portable models were introduced during World War II which posed a more effective service to the user thanks to printed circuit boards.
Modern Versions
Behind-the-ear hearing aids became available in 1964 by Zenith Radio; digital signal-processing chips, hybrid analog-digital models, and finally completely digital models hit the market in 1996. By the new millennium, programmable hearing aids were all the rage, making it possible for improved flexibility, personalization and comfort. Today, 90 percent of all hearing aids are digital, and that number is only expected to grow. The question is, what will the future bring?