November 11, 2014

Image Credit: Nanoplug

Eric Hopton for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Nanoplug is a brand new, high-tech hearing aid which its makers believe could be about to turn the industry on its head. This tiny device is somewhere between the size of a coffee bean and a grain of rice, making it half the size of even the smallest hearing aids currently on the market. Fitting totally within the ear, the Nanoplug becomes totally invisible when worn. The technology which makes it possible is based on an equally tiny nanobattery that can be recharged instantly.

Nanoplugs developers told redOrbit in an interview that, although there are 642 million people worldwide who complain of hearing loss, only 23 percent of them use hearing aids. The main reasons include a perceived social stigma attached to wearing hearing aids as well as the high cost of current devices. Nanoplug aims to tackle both those obstacles.

As Nevena Zivic Idea Maker and Project Manager at Nanoplug told us on Monday, Social stigma still hinders most people from taking advantage of ordinary hearing devices. People having trouble with their hearing are sensitive about using aids. We know that making a hearing aid is not rocket science. Prices of $2000 or more for a single aid with three pieces inside are really unacceptable in the 21st century.

As a lifelong hearing aid wearer herself, Zivic was always disappointed by how other people looked at hearing aids and found it frustrating that such a harmless device never became cool as glasses. She decided to try and change those perceptions and the hearing aid industry along with it. So, a year ago, she gave up her career as a geography professor and made Nanoplug her mission in life. She recruited a team of experts to help make it happen. If Nanoplug succeeds, said Zivic, we will say goodbye to expensive, bulky, embarrassing hearing aids. The Nanoplug is my work.

The company describes Nanoplug as the worlds first 100% invisible, affordable, instant fit and user programmable hearing aid that can help a younger, hipper audience with hearing loss to solve their problem with embarrassment and social stigma using the latest nanotechnologies.

Will it work? Can Nanoplug really give hearing aids the cool factor? Certainly, the aids sleek look and the technology itself are ultra-modern. Zivics goal is to move hearing aids away from being seen merely as medical devices towards an image of being a lifestyle product or accessory. The developers want this device to be fun and desirable, while removing the financial pain normally involved in acquiring hearing aids.

Nanoplug is comprised of micro-components and a battery with a cell that is only nanometers in dimension. This nanobattery can be configured and connected to scale the output of power by accessing groups of cells into different sized banks, allowing for a variable output. It has an extremely high surface to volume ratio, providing a virtually instantaneous recharge. The batteries contain no toxic chemicals or heavy metals and are designed to be safe and eco-friendly. Battery life is estimated to be 138.888 hours of runtime to give an estimated 6 days between charges.

Continue reading here:

Can Nanotechnology Bring The 'Cool Factor' To Hearing Aids?