Spotlight on the Future: Emerging Trends in Hearing Aid Design

It might seem like there’s a new gadget out every month, some new advancement for almost every part of our lives. The world of hearing aids is no exception: advancements have come in leaps and bounds, especially in the last decade or so. As technologies like Bluetooth and artificial intelligence (AI) are being integrated into other parts of our lives, their usefulness for hearing aid users is also driving research and innovation.

How will the hearing aid be reimagined in the future? Only a fortune-teller can say for sure, but the hearing aid specialists here at Forest Hills Audiology keep our fingers on the pulse enough to make some educated predictions. Let’s take a look at what the digital era may bring for hearing aid patients.

Hearing Aid Innovations: Where We Are Now

Over the last decade, the hearing aid landscape has changed completely, offering patients a wide variety of functions that improve their daily lives. Modern hearing aids have rechargeable batteries and fast charging, which has their extended battery life and running costs dramatically. People can now charge their hearing aids overnight, while they sleep, and move through their days without the fear of running out of power at a crucial moment.

The connectivity revolution didn’t leave hearing aids behind – these days, Bluetooth capabilities are common. This allows the hearing aids to connect with external devices, such as laptops or phones. The audio is broadcast directly into the hearing aid, improving the quality and clarity of the sound and limiting distracting background noise. With the help of hearing aid accessories, even watching movies and listening to music have gotten an upgrade.

Connecting your hearing aids to your smartphone has an extra benefit: the development of smart apps that give the wearer easy-to-use control over their hearing aid settings, so they don’t have to make an appointment with their hearing aid doctor every time they need a small change.

Into the Future: Hearing Aids & the AI Revolution

The current hot topic in tech is artificial intelligence, and it’s only a matter of time before this sophisticated technology makes its way into the world of hearing aids. Soon, your hearing aids may be able to use AI-powered machine learning to adjust your settings automatically when you move through different environments and noise levels. It will also be able to identify which noises you want to hear – like, say, the person you’re talking to – and send other distracting sounds into the background. It could even learn to recognize the voices you regularly hear, like family members, and automatically prioritize them.

AI adjustments could also become your hearing aid audiologist’s real-time surrogate, monitoring your level of hearing loss for even minuscule changes and making adjustments accordingly. It could also alert your audiologist or family members should it detect a dramatic difference, which is especially helpful if the person using the hearing aids is also experiencing age-related cognitive decline.

Finally, you might have noticed that if people aren’t talking about AI itself, they’re getting excited about wearable tech. Your hearing aids could be set to become the hottest new personal trackers, counting your steps and other health data just like your smartwatch does. An example of the AI twist here is gait monitoring, which could pick up difficulties with walking and balancing in time to prevent a serious fall.

Stay Ahead of the Hearing Curve with Forest Hill Audiology

It’s impossible to keep up with all of the technological advances changing the world, but we’re excited about what’s coming to the hearing aid market in the future. Our dedicated specialists are passionate about hearing, and stay up to date on all the latest innovations and applications of new technology for hearing. You can rely on us to ensure your hearing aid gives you the best support today’s technology can provide and keep pace as the world upgrades.

Let us be your guides to the hearing aids that will improve your life and open up new possibilities. Forest Hills Audiology is the top place to find your hearing aids in Queens, no matter your level of hearing loss or lifestyle needs. Whether you’re already using hearing aids or simply need a hearing checkup, book a consultation with us today.