High School Student Invents a Cheaper Hearing Aid

After spending a summer in India with his grandfather when he was 14 Mukund Venkatakrishan began the process of trying to create a hearing aid that people in developing countries would be able to afford. When he was in India, he went with his grandfather to get tested an fitted for a hearing aid, which was hard because it is hard to get an appointment with an audiologist in India as they are specialists, and the appointments and actual hearing aid are very expensive. His grandfather spent over $2,000 on his hearing aid and appointments, which is very expensive especially in India as the average household median income is $616 a year. This means that even if people in India and developing countries saved up their money for a year and did not spend a single penny, they still would not have enough money for a hearing aid. It was Venkatakrishan's goal to create a hearing aid that these people would be able to buy.

The device the he made only costs about $50 to make, and can be used with even the cheapest set of headphones. This means that if an ear piece gets damaged, it won't be expensive to replace, as they would just have to buy a new set of earphones. The current form of the device is about two inches long, looks like a computer processor, and has a standard headphone port, however Venkatakrishan is planing on bringing the size down to one inch and encasing the operating system, which would allow the device to fit into someone's pocket. This device tests a person's hearing with a series of beeps, and programs itself to become a hearing aid. This eliminates the need to see a doctor to get a hearing exam, which can allow even more money to be saved. The device is calibrated by a person rubbing their hands together, as each device has an audio recording of hand rubbing together and doing it their self allows the device to be calibrated. If someone cannot hear the sound of their hands rubbing together, they can get somebody else to calibrate the device. Venkatakrishan  made the device completely on his own, however he received guidance from audiologists and engineers like his father. To make sure his device was accurate, he worked with doctors to conduct tests on patients with hearing loss. 

Venkatakrishan says that it is often hard to get someone to admit to having hearing problems, and needing a hearing aid. He hopes that as his device works with standard headphones, this problem will be lessened. While Venkatakrishan is eager to make a difference, he is adamant that his audio software remain open so that other developers can modify and tweak it, and hopefully that an organization with existing connections in developing countries, will want to mass produce and distribute the device. He has started talking to someone form the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and his device could have broad appeal as there are around 360 million people around the world who suffer from hearing loss. In the U.S., only about 2%-3% of people with mild hearing loss use hearing aids, and his device targets people with mild to moderate hearing loss. And while his device still needs a few tweaks, he hopes that it will be used to help others, "amplify life."

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