Hearing loss is already something that technology can treat today. However, the effects may be even more profound in the future as medicine and electronics continue to advance.
It’s not 100% clear exactly what technology will allow, but we can have some pretty good guesses at some of the things coming down the pike.
Brain-Computer Interfaces for Auditory Processing
Top of the list are brain-computer interfaces for auditory processing. The idea here is to decode sound signals and then feed them directly to the brain instead of relying on the machinery in the ear.
This concept is a little strange when you first think about it, but it makes sense in the context of the technology already being developed by high-profile companies, like Neuralink. The idea is to place systems on the brain tissue to stimulate it in the same way as the auditory nerve running from the inner ear.
Augmented Reality Captioning
Another hearing technology that’s also under development is augmented reality captioning. The idea is to use AI to caption things in the environment so that people with hearing loss can understand sounds visually.
For example, a person with hearing loss could be walking down the street and pass by a conversation. They can’t hear it, but their AR goggles could transcribe the part the microphone picks up, giving them a chance to read it and respond quickly.
Directional microphones could improve such setups even further. These might be able to capture what people are saying at a distance or in the direction the user is facing, making captions more relevant and curated.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is another technology that could have a profound impact on hearing loss. Going in and editing DNA might be a way to target the causes of hearing loss and prevent them from exerting continued effects on the body.
For example, scientists are now imagining using gene therapy for things like regenerating inner ear hair cells or leveraging stem cells to repair parts of the ear with damage.
5G Integration
5G technology in hearing care could also play a significant role in the future. The idea is to speed up the communication between devices and hearing aids, enhancing their functionality further.
These integrations aren’t in the distant future, either–they’re very much on the way. Hearing aids can operate faster and more efficiently than ever before with these additions, enabling sound quality adjustments to the environment and dynamic amplification.
AI Integration
At the same time, hearing aids could also benefit from AI integration. Modern software tools can recognize and analyze sound environments in real time, allowing them to edit and enhance clarity for the user.
AI integrations have the potential to deal with the most complex sound environments while also helping users get a more natural-feeling experience. Non-smart hearing aids don’t have this additional processing layer, so they have to rely on the quality of the components and the calibrations performed by the audiologist. However, AI integrations could largely deal with them by themselves.
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