I’ve had a few people send me this link to a post on Gizmodo.
The original can be found on Design Affairs.
Being hard of hearing myself, I love the idea of this concept where function and fashion meet. A hearing aid built into a tunnel or a plug is really cool idea (in my not-so-humble opinion). It would be great to see this concept become reality. Reading some of the comments though, I think a lot of people fail to realize how many young (and not quite as young as we used to be) are hard of hearing or deaf and interested in body modification. Sure, we’re probably a fringe market but a girl can dream, can’t she?
Comments
135 responses to “Just nod if you can hear me…”
@trip people already do that to me, ask if my plugs are part of my hearing aids. But usually when I wear my rose quartz stone plugs and not the others. I always would laugh about it and be like yeah right there will never be a hearing aid that is a plug, but it looks like I have been proved wrong.
@trip people already do that to me, ask if my plugs are part of my hearing aids. But usually when I wear my rose quartz stone plugs and not the others. I always would laugh about it and be like yeah right there will never be a hearing aid that is a plug, but it looks like I have been proved wrong.
ms. mister im some what astonished to what people are coming out with in this age of technology anything is possible you know. this hearing aid is a duplicate to the over the ear extension with the tube entering all the way into the ear with no ear mould. its just the upside down version.
ms. mister im some what astonished to what people are coming out with in this age of technology anything is possible you know. this hearing aid is a duplicate to the over the ear extension with the tube entering all the way into the ear with no ear mould. its just the upside down version.
ms. mister im some what astonished to what people are coming out with in this age of technology anything is possible you know. this hearing aid is a duplicate to the over the ear extension with the tube entering all the way into the ear with no ear mould. its just the upside down version.
This is fairly kickass!
This is fairly kickass!
This is fairly kickass!
This is so cool, I’m a major in deaf studies and am working to become an interpreter. I have a slight hearing lose, not to the point of needing aids, but this it right up my alley!! Awesome find Jen!
This is so cool, I’m a major in deaf studies and am working to become an interpreter. I have a slight hearing lose, not to the point of needing aids, but this it right up my alley!! Awesome find Jen!
This is so cool, I’m a major in deaf studies and am working to become an interpreter. I have a slight hearing lose, not to the point of needing aids, but this it right up my alley!! Awesome find Jen!
I would LOVE to have something like that. I’ve had hearing loss my entire loss but I’ve never worn hearing aids mostly because of aesthetics. These, however, would be AMAZING.
I would LOVE to have something like that. I’ve had hearing loss my entire loss but I’ve never worn hearing aids mostly because of aesthetics. These, however, would be AMAZING.
I would LOVE to have something like that. I’ve had hearing loss my entire loss but I’ve never worn hearing aids mostly because of aesthetics. These, however, would be AMAZING.
Nice idea… but it doesn’t really seem viable. this would only work for something with slight/possibly moderate hearing loss, where they would normally be wearing CIC’s (completely in the canal) aids anyway. Something that needs more amplification for high hearing loss (like a BTE – behind the ear hearing aid), probably wouldn’t work as well. of course there’s been more technology since i worked with hearing aids, so there’s options like open ear – open canal hearing aids. but still. theory it sounds like a good idea and there’s obviously some sort of a market for it, but at the same time, i don’t know how it would work for people who aren’t wearing hearing aids now because of aesthetics. I mean, a CIC is much more invisible than the hearing aid plug/tunnel anyways. and you’d still have a tube going from the canal to the tunnel or plug, which people would probably see.
Nice idea… but it doesn’t really seem viable. this would only work for something with slight/possibly moderate hearing loss, where they would normally be wearing CIC’s (completely in the canal) aids anyway. Something that needs more amplification for high hearing loss (like a BTE – behind the ear hearing aid), probably wouldn’t work as well. of course there’s been more technology since i worked with hearing aids, so there’s options like open ear – open canal hearing aids. but still. theory it sounds like a good idea and there’s obviously some sort of a market for it, but at the same time, i don’t know how it would work for people who aren’t wearing hearing aids now because of aesthetics. I mean, a CIC is much more invisible than the hearing aid plug/tunnel anyways. and you’d still have a tube going from the canal to the tunnel or plug, which people would probably see.
Nice idea… but it doesn’t really seem viable. this would only work for something with slight/possibly moderate hearing loss, where they would normally be wearing CIC’s (completely in the canal) aids anyway. Something that needs more amplification for high hearing loss (like a BTE – behind the ear hearing aid), probably wouldn’t work as well. of course there’s been more technology since i worked with hearing aids, so there’s options like open ear – open canal hearing aids. but still. theory it sounds like a good idea and there’s obviously some sort of a market for it, but at the same time, i don’t know how it would work for people who aren’t wearing hearing aids now because of aesthetics. I mean, a CIC is much more invisible than the hearing aid plug/tunnel anyways. and you’d still have a tube going from the canal to the tunnel or plug, which people would probably see.
This is full on awesome.
This is full on awesome.
This is full on awesome.
This is one of the very best i have seen at B M E, and has to become a reality,there are plenty of people that need soemthing like this, i can also see an open window for more products like this one
This is one of the very best i have seen at B M E, and has to become a reality,there are plenty of people that need soemthing like this, i can also see an open window for more products like this one
This is one of the very best i have seen at B M E, and has to become a reality,there are plenty of people that need soemthing like this, i can also see an open window for more products like this one
“Reading some of the comments though, I think a lot of people fail to realize how many young (and not quite as young as we used to be) are hard of hearing or deaf and interested in body modification.”
This is true. I’m studying sign language interpreting and there’s a huge deaf/Deaf community here. Like any school environment, there’s a larger-than-normal percentage of modified people roaming around. But I have to be honest, I don’t think there’s a market for this. I go to a school with an abnormally high percentage of deaf/hoh students. Still, only about 1200 students out of 15,000 are deaf/hoh. Of that, an even smaller number use hearing aids. Students involved in Deaf Culture, which here is probably much higher than normally found, tend not to wear hearing aids and communicate with ASL, and some lip reading (but even that is increasingly frowned upon). Students who are not as strongly Deaf and who are viable candidates get Cochlear Implants in HUGE numbers. That leaves a very, very small percentage of students using standard, external hearing aids that would also be interested in gauging their ears. And this community is way, way more concentrated in deaf/hoh hearing individuals than a normal town or city, so I think you’d be looking at an even smaller wide-scale market than we would represent.
Anyway, it’s an interesting idea. I certainly know a few people who would be interested, but said they would never conceivably be able to get them — they certainly wouldn’t be covered by insurance and they’d need two 🙂
“Reading some of the comments though, I think a lot of people fail to realize how many young (and not quite as young as we used to be) are hard of hearing or deaf and interested in body modification.”
This is true. I’m studying sign language interpreting and there’s a huge deaf/Deaf community here. Like any school environment, there’s a larger-than-normal percentage of modified people roaming around. But I have to be honest, I don’t think there’s a market for this. I go to a school with an abnormally high percentage of deaf/hoh students. Still, only about 1200 students out of 15,000 are deaf/hoh. Of that, an even smaller number use hearing aids. Students involved in Deaf Culture, which here is probably much higher than normally found, tend not to wear hearing aids and communicate with ASL, and some lip reading (but even that is increasingly frowned upon). Students who are not as strongly Deaf and who are viable candidates get Cochlear Implants in HUGE numbers. That leaves a very, very small percentage of students using standard, external hearing aids that would also be interested in gauging their ears. And this community is way, way more concentrated in deaf/hoh hearing individuals than a normal town or city, so I think you’d be looking at an even smaller wide-scale market than we would represent.
Anyway, it’s an interesting idea. I certainly know a few people who would be interested, but said they would never conceivably be able to get them — they certainly wouldn’t be covered by insurance and they’d need two 🙂
“Reading some of the comments though, I think a lot of people fail to realize how many young (and not quite as young as we used to be) are hard of hearing or deaf and interested in body modification.”
This is true. I’m studying sign language interpreting and there’s a huge deaf/Deaf community here. Like any school environment, there’s a larger-than-normal percentage of modified people roaming around. But I have to be honest, I don’t think there’s a market for this. I go to a school with an abnormally high percentage of deaf/hoh students. Still, only about 1200 students out of 15,000 are deaf/hoh. Of that, an even smaller number use hearing aids. Students involved in Deaf Culture, which here is probably much higher than normally found, tend not to wear hearing aids and communicate with ASL, and some lip reading (but even that is increasingly frowned upon). Students who are not as strongly Deaf and who are viable candidates get Cochlear Implants in HUGE numbers. That leaves a very, very small percentage of students using standard, external hearing aids that would also be interested in gauging their ears. And this community is way, way more concentrated in deaf/hoh hearing individuals than a normal town or city, so I think you’d be looking at an even smaller wide-scale market than we would represent.
Anyway, it’s an interesting idea. I certainly know a few people who would be interested, but said they would never conceivably be able to get them — they certainly wouldn’t be covered by insurance and they’d need two 🙂
I wearing hearing aids on a daily basis, and I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea!
I wearing hearing aids on a daily basis, and I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea!
I wearing hearing aids on a daily basis, and I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea!
nope, are you at RIT? Wait, do they have interpreting there?
At any rate, here at Gallaudet we have lots of modded people, myself included. Not too many people have heavy mods – I can only think of one or two – but there’s a lot of modded deaf people here. 🙂
nope, are you at RIT? Wait, do they have interpreting there?
At any rate, here at Gallaudet we have lots of modded people, myself included. Not too many people have heavy mods – I can only think of one or two – but there’s a lot of modded deaf people here. 🙂
nope, are you at RIT? Wait, do they have interpreting there?
At any rate, here at Gallaudet we have lots of modded people, myself included. Not too many people have heavy mods – I can only think of one or two – but there’s a lot of modded deaf people here. 🙂
this is really cool i have two good friends who are very close to being deaf. one of which needs to wear a hearing aid 24hrs or she cant hear a thing. both are teenagers and this would be much cooler then a traditional hearing aid.
this is really cool i have two good friends who are very close to being deaf. one of which needs to wear a hearing aid 24hrs or she cant hear a thing. both are teenagers and this would be much cooler then a traditional hearing aid.
this is really cool i have two good friends who are very close to being deaf. one of which needs to wear a hearing aid 24hrs or she cant hear a thing. both are teenagers and this would be much cooler then a traditional hearing aid.