Wireless hearing aids? How technology continues to improve our lives

[April 06, 2011]  (ARA) - "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," wrote physicist and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Imagine what our ancestors, who relied on telegraphs or landline telephones, would make of today's wireless communications technology.

You can navigate a new city using nothing more than a palm-sized device that talks to a larger device orbiting far above the earth. You push a button in an upstairs office that orders a printing machine in the kitchen to print out the recipe for tonight's dinner. And you can wear hearing aids that allow you to watch a movie with others by having the sound streamed directly into the hearing aids at a volume that's right for you, while your family can watch comfortably at the same time.

Whether or not you understand the mechanics of how the technology works, it's easy to feel the effect wireless communication has had on our lives is downright magical. From mobile phones that allow us to speak with others from virtually anywhere on the planet to garage door openers that save us from having to exit our cars in the soaking rain, wireless devices are everywhere in American life.

The technology and its application are developing at a breakneck pace. For many of us, it's becoming easy to imagine that wireless technology can have practical use in virtually every aspect of our lives. New developments like two-way transmission capabilities that will make Wi-Fi networks even faster and more fluid will influence how - and how often - we use wireless technology.

In particular, wireless technology has widespread implications for our health. It facilitates communications among medical professionals, allows a doctor in a different city to view your MRI readings in real time, and even makes it easier for hearing impaired individuals to share in high-tech entertainment that might have been problematic for them with traditional hearing aids.

In the simplest sense, hearing aids are designed to amplify sound. Now, new wireless hearing aids by hearing aid maker Starkey stream sound directly from your TV, radio or computer to your hearing aids, allowing you to hear these devices at the volume you want without disturbing others in the room.

Wi Series hearing aids can be customized to fit your ears. And they provide the high quality features including an advanced noise reduction and speech preservation system and feedback canceller that Starkey is known for. The hearing aids eliminate the need to wear headphones in order to enjoy certain media, like TV or radio. Once you plug the aid's companion device into your TV, radio or other media device, you can begin streaming sound immediately without pairing or the need for a body worn device. You can learn more at www.starkey.com.

"Baby boomers and many in the older generation are increasingly comfortable with technology," says Barry Freeman, Ph.D., of Starkey. "They don't want to give up enjoying media because of hearing impairment or hearing aids that conflict with media use. Now, wireless hearing aids ensure they don't have to."

Archived columns