LoCHAid could restore hearing to millions of older people

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Researchers have developed LoCHAid, a proof-of-concept hearing aid made with open-source parts and a 3D-printed case that could help millions of older people without access to the technology.

LoCHAid is designed to be easily manufactured and repaired in locations where conventional hearing aids are priced beyond the reach of most people. The device is expected to meet most of the World Health Organization's targets for hearing aids aimed at mild-to-moderate age-related hearing loss.

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"The challenge we set for ourselves was to build a minimalist hearing aid, determine how good it would be and ask how useful it would be to the millions of people who could use it," said M. Saad Bhamla, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "The need is obvious because conventional hearing aids cost a lot and only a fraction of those who need them have access."

Details of the project are described in PLOS ONE.

Bhamla and his team chose to focus on age-related hearing loss because older adults tend to lose hearing at higher frequencies. Focusing on a large group with similar hearing losses simplified the design by narrowing the range of sound frequency amplification needed.

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