Wearable technology is nothing new. Apple may be doing their best to convince us that the Apple Watch is where it’s at, but the truth is that people have been wearing assistive technologies for hundreds of years. Of course, it’s been a while since a couple of ground lenses and a pair of hooks were seen as something new, but it’s not just glasses that are old hat (and of course, Google have done their bit to upgrade that particular technology recently).
Hardware for hearing
The problems associated with an aging population mean that conditions of old age are on the rise. Not the least of those are issues of hearing loss. However, hearing loss is no longer something that only affects the aged.
Over-exposure to loud music and unhealthily enthusiastic use of headphones has led to an epidemic of hearing problems in younger people. In the US it has been estimated that as many as 16% of teenagers have suffered some form of permanent hearing loss. The inner ear is particularly susceptible to damage if it is subjected to excessive noise over a prolonged period, irrespective of a person’s age.
That rapidly expanding demand for hearing solutions from both ends of the age spectrum is driving high-tech innovation devoted to hearing-boosting devices. There are already a large number of different types of hearing aid on the market, but research is ongoing all the time, in order to produce even more effective, discrete and desirable devices.
Insect inspiration
Researchers in Strathclyde in Scotland have been inspired by the directional hearing used by insects to develop micro microphones that, because they are directional in nature and can target a particular speaker for audible attention.
Ordinarily we experience sound as an immersive sensation. Our ability to locate the source of sound is quite poor – certainly by comparison with insects. The result is that we can struggle to filter out what is important from background noise. This is a particular issue for those with hearing problems as the microphones they use are entirely unable to achieve this filtering capability.
Targeted listening
What the researchers are hoping for, is that by fitting directional microphones that have the equivalent of a focal range wearers, will be able to concentrate their hearing on, for example a particular speaker in a crowded, noisy room. Instead of being bombarded with all the noise bouncing around them, the wearer will simply be able to hone in on – and actively listen to – what that one particular person is saying.
Once the technology is stabilised don’t be surprised if it starts to crop up as a feature of more conventionally directional hardware. For example, a link to a pair of glasses, or possibly even a watch would allow users to specifically point the microphone in the direction of whatever sound source they were keen to focus on. Watches and glasses may have been around for a while, but it’s quite possible that – like some sort of technological earworm – we will be hearing about them for quite some time.
