Hearing aids came about more than two hundred years ago. They first appeared as conical shaped ear trumpets and horns which were held up to the ear so a person could speak into it. Sound travelled down the funnel directly into the hearing impaired person to enable them to hear. Hearing aids have a come a long way since then with many impressive types which work with the higher level of technology today. Now we will look at how hearing aids work in today's modern world.
Hearing aids have small microphones which pick up sound which is then amplified to make it louder. A small microphone receives the sound coming in where it is then converted into an electrical or digital signal, the data is then sent back to a speaker so it becomes sound again. The microphones are set according to a person's hearing loss in their usual environment and will account for that to make hearing as normal as possible. The environment will refer to the usual sound and noises that are around you on a daily basis. If you are around high frequency noises, is it necessary to able to hear them? Are you mainly in an environment where conversation is quiet? The audiologist will ask the relevant questions and then determine how to adjust the settings on your hearing aid to help you. This provides some information for how hearing aids function.
Hearing aids today uses one of the three basic types of technology for converting the signals they receive. The analogue adjustable hearing aid is the cheapest and least advanced.
Adjustments are carried out by your audiologist like the volume as well as other specifications. The hearing aid is then custom made to fit you. The volume is controlled automatically, or you can adjust it yourself.
The next type is the analog programmable one which is better than the analogue adjustable as it can be programmed with the use of a computer. The audiologist is able to set the different programs to capture and transmit sound for the differing listening situations that one comes across. As a user you have the option of choosing the program for any given situation, with a remote control.
The most advanced is the digital programmable hearing aids which work out the more expensive. It took years to perfect the technology as they were impractical or not small enough, and now they are very discreet for the wearer.
So what makes a hearing aid work? The circuitry consists of a feature known as DSP, which is Digital Sound Processing. The utilization of a computer chip takes the sound data and analyses it, then once processed it is then amplified to the ear. The data is made up of billions of digital number codes which are identified and classified into different sounds to give them their correct settings. This data is then converted back into sound which is sent to the ear. As the digital hearing air can identify different frequencies, feedback can be detected and eliminated so there is no background interference for the user. This is what makes it much better than the analogue types, as they work automatically and usually need little or no adjustment.
With advancing technology hearing aids just get better and smaller, offering many options for the hearing impaired. They are barely noticeable which make it less embarrassing to wear one, so if you haven't already, you should go ahead and improve your hearing.