The inside of a hearing aid looks much like a computer. They also perform like computers inside your ears.
Modern hearing aids are much like little digital computers inside your ears helping you better hear the sounds you are missing.
Today’s smaller, sleeker devices are more advanced than the hearing aids your parent’s wore. To see for yourself, let’s take a quick look inside a device.
A hearing aid will either have one or two microphones that are used to pick up sound from the environment and converts it into an electrical signal.
A hearing aid with two microphones implements directional microphone technology, which assists the listener with hearing in a noisy environment. One microphone focuses in on speech, while the other turns down background noise, allowing conversation to be followed easier.
After the sound is converted into an electrical signal, it is sent to the amplifier. An amplifier increases the volume of the sound and sends it to the receiver. The receiver, or speaker, changes the electrical signal back into sound waves and directs the sound into the ear. Then those impulses are sent to the brain. A battery is used to power the hearing aid.
Digital hearing aids have a computer chip, which enables them to be programmed on a computer. Some hearing aids have a button that allows the user to change programs depending on the type of environment they are in as well as to assist with hearing on the phone.
A hearing aid can come with numerous programs and the wearer may manually change back and forth between different programs, while some aids switch automatically. The type of hearing aid, level of technology, and features that works best will vary across individuals due to differences in hearing loss and lifestyle.
