Finally there is a hearing aid that is environmentally responsible and good to people. The Solar Ear, a brand of solar hearing aids, is the recent winner of the Tech Laureate Award for its impact on society, particularly in developing nations. Not only is the Solar Ear company bringing affordable hearing aid technology to communities typically too disadvantaged to acquired hearing aids, but the company is also bring jobs to the deaf community.

Typical hearing aids cost above $700 and most insurance companies will not cover the cost of hearing aid devices. This is irrelevant, however, since the majority of the world does not even have health insurance. The technology to help individuals suffering from hearing loss is there, but it is frequently priced out of their reach. Unable to afford hearing aid devices, these individuals suffer in silence. The Solar Ear project is aiming to change all of that. Solar Ear hearing aids are priced around $100 each, and the battery, which lasts 2-3 years, costs about $1 and it recharged by the sun. Since the Solar Ear is recharged by the sun, those without electricity, particularly in developing nations, now have access to hearing aid technology.

The Solar Ear project began in Africa, but has since expanded to Brazil where it will supply solar hearing aids to all of South America. From there, the company plans to reach out to the Middle East and China. The Solar Ear project is also in the planning stages of bringing the project to Arizona for distribution in the United States.

Solar hearing aids are effective devices for relieving hearing loss. Unfortunately, most of the individuals suffering from hearing loss world-wide are unable to afford hearing aid devices. The Solar Ear project produces digital hearing aids that are effective and environmentally friendly. The project is also creating sustainable jobs for the deaf community in many disadvantaged areas. Solar hearing aids, like Solar Ear, are bringing hearing aids to thousands of individuals who are unable to afford typical hearing aids.

For example, the Inteo line of hearing aids has the capability to transfer high-pitched sounds into your audible range, thus giving you the chance to hear distinct alarm signals or music details. The Speech Enhancer function filters out environmental noises, allowing you to better focus on your conversations. The feedback cancelling system is very useful in situations when you need to use electronic devices such as mobile phones or mp3 players. Either you choose an open fitting or a smaller, in-the-canal Widex hearing aid, your hearing ability will be enhanced in the same way.

Thanks to the Sound Diary feature which records data, each user can benefit from easy tailoring of their hearing instrument for their specific situation. Aikia is another Widex hearing aids line of instruments which focuses on the Speech Intensification System, therefore being suitable for persons who need to hear and understand voices in noisy environments. Depending on the listening situation, the hearing aid will switch between omnidirectional and directional microphones. Moreover, this Widex hearing aid is automatically fitting itself to match your personal hearing loss severity, therefore bringing you as close to natural hearing as possible. Another high-quality range of hearing aids from Widex is Real, which features the Enhanced Dynamic Range Compression system, ensuring that you can hear soft sounds like dripping water, while turning loud, unexpected sounds remain comfortable. Taking all these into consideration, it’s easy to say that Widex hearing aids are not compromising on performance, while remaining affordable for many people.

Starkey Laboratories has done something very smart. In the simplest terms they moved the microphone of the cell phone into the actual digital hearing aides it’s self. This way you can transform your hearing aid into your actual cell phone. This eliminates all the feedback noise that digital hearing aid wearers constantly complain about.

Starkey has introduced these “cellphone hearing aids” for around $300 dollars retail. One draw back it that for this device to work the digital hearing aid must be the type that is worn behind the ear. Wondering how this crazy little devices work? Well, the Incoming calls are routed directly from the phone to the ELI and then the hearing aid. A microphone on the end of the device picks up the user’s voice and transmits it back to the phone.