According to Hearing Industries Association (HIA) statistics, total net hearing aid sales in 2020 reached 3.47 million units, a decrease of 18.0%, with the private/commercial sector experiencing a decrease of 14.2% and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a decrease of 34.0%. Here is an analysis of hearing aid sales in 2020, including state-by-state unit losses, and what the future might hold in 2021.
Widex has long been using real-time artificial intelligence to help hearing aid users customize their sound in the moment. Now the resulting large amounts of real-life user data can also be analyzed using artificial intelligence, revealing meaningful clusters of preferences for distinct listening situations.
A new approach, published in “Cell Reports,” to regenerate inner ear sensory hair cells is said to lay the groundwork for treating chronic noise-induced hearing loss by the company, Frequency Therapeutics, and its co-founders who are drawing on research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, and MIT. The program is expected to progress to into human clinical trials within the next 18 months.
The music business can be a feast-or-famine endeavor, with gigs waning for a variety of reasons, including the effects of the global pandemic. But regardless of their economic situation, musicians need hearing care (enhancement or protection) in good times and bad.
At the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, now known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, researchers collaborated with Uber and the University of Texas at Austin to investigate the acoustic properties of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which use distributed electric propulsion to power flight.
The authors conclude that fNIRS may be a feasible way to objectively assess tinnitus to assess new treatments or monitor the effectiveness of a patient's treatment program.
The National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) announced its free Townhall Webinar “How to attend NHCA Virtual Conference” to take place Friday, January 8, 2021 at 10:30-11:30 MT / 11:30 CT/ 12:30 ET.
New compression and noise management strategies allow Radiant to help deliver what the company describes as “clear, brilliant sound to improve the user experience, even in noisy environments.”
After 42 years in the hearing industry, six of those with ESCO, President Jim Guthier announced his retirement. ESCO has named David Mumm as the company’s new president.