Originally Published EMDM October 2005
Industry News
Design Bureaus Give Hearing Aids Extreme Makeover |
An inspirational design for hearing aids by Kinneir Dufort is one of several prototypes on display at the HearWear exhibition in London. |
You may need it, but do you really want it? When it comes to hearing aids, the traditional answer has been, no. Of the more than 9 million people in the UK that are hard of hearing, only 2 million use a hearing aid. An exhibition at the V&A Museum South Kensington called HearWear offers a solution: design bureaus throughout Great Britain were invited to create a hearing aid that people would actually want to wear. Kinneir Dufort (KD; Bristol, UK) took up the challenge and is showing its design, in the company of 14 other firms, at the event that runs through 5 March 2006.
The Enhance system is described by KD as a low-cost, off-the-shelf product for hearing improvement. An integrated hearing test function precludes the need for a doctor’s appointment. The product consists of a docking station and two hearing devices designed to look like jewelry. The models on display at the exhibition were made at KD’s facility using on-site laser equipment.
The designs are conceptual and not currently available for purchase. But KD hopes that in some not-too-distant future these and similar hearing aids will be sold on the high street . . . and that consumers will want to buy them.
For more information about the exhibition, go to www.vam.ac.uk. To learn more about Kinneir Dufort, contact the company at 5 Host St., Bristol BS1 5BU, UK; phone: +44 117 9014000; fax: +44 117 9014001; Internet: www.kinneirdufort.co.
Copyright ©2005 European Medical Device Manufacturer
