Only one dollar open source hearing aid developed

 

Hearing aids around the world can cost anywhere from thousands of rupees to hundreds of dollars, but now Georgia Tech engineers have created an open source hearing aid with the help of 3D printing technology, which costs only one dollar.

Elderly people and children in poor countries in Africa and Asia can still get a hearing aid easily as this hearing aid can be provided for only Rs. Similarly, in Pakistan itself, the price of a good hearing aid is by no means less than thousands of rupees.

Experts at Georgia Tech University have dubbed it the 'LockAid' LoCHAid, which uses inexpensive electronic devices. Being open source, the device can be easily printed in any of the most backward areas of the world where tens of millions of people are deaf.

The standard of the low-cost device is exactly according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, the first model is similar to an earphone music player. However, by changing its design, it can be made like a hearing aid behind the ear.

Created by Saad Bhamla, Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology. According to him, the most important problem was how to bring it up to international standards and how it could meet the needs of millions of poor people.

Worldwide, there are 200 million people aged 65 and over who are deaf and cannot afford a hearing aid. Especially in poor and middle-income countries, only 3% of the needy have a hearing aid and the rest do not. In the United States alone, a hearing aid is available for سے 3,000 to 5,000.

Hearing loss can lead to embarrassment and difficulties as well as accidents. On the one hand, not hearing the sound of traffic on the road can lead to accidents and on the other hand, not hearing makes the process of walking unbalanced. According to experts, hearing weight also reduces acquisition and mental capacity.

The one-dollar device is designed specifically for the elderly and is fitted with special filters that suppress side noise and only hear the speaker's voice.