You have probably seen those old ear horns people with a hearing loss used “back in the day.” Before wearable hearing aids arrived in the 1950s, that was the only portable hearing assistance available.
In less than a hundred years, hearing aid technology has grown exponentially, allowing individuals with a hearing loss to continue to live an active and independent lifestyle as they continue to age.
As we move forward in 2025, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the development of hearing technology to show just how far the industry has come in a very short time.
Downsizing Hearing Aids: Upgrading Power
No one has ever enjoyed having a heavy electronic device hanging from their ear. Besides being uncomfortable, they were unsightly. Out of necessity, people wore them, desiring to have their hearing in spite of it all.
In the 1970s, with the introduction of microchip technology, processing power was able to be inserted into smaller packages. By the 1980s, most manufacturers were making in-the-ear (ITE) and in-the-canal (ITC) devices, while completely-in-the-canal (CIC) and open-fit options began to emerge.
Digital signal processing (DSP) chips allowed features like noise reduction and feedback cancellation to become standard features. As hearing aids continued to shrink in size, their performance capabilities continued to advance.
The emergence of smartphones at the turn of the century brought the ability to wirelessly stream audio from smartphones, televisions, and other digital audio sources, followed shortly by the capacity to adjust volume and tone remotely via smartphone apps.
Like microchip technology, nano chips enhanced the capacity to create even smaller hearing aids with sound-processing power that is far superior to what it was a decade ago.
Completely-in-the-canal designs were usurped by invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) models and even the introduction of Lyric, an extended-wear hearing aid that sits very close to the eardrum.
Today’s Common Hearing Aid Features
Even as size has helped improve wearing discretion and comfort, allowing people to be more active, other technological advancements have allowed hearing aid manufacturers to add some incredible features to their hearing aids, such as:
- Seamless connectivity for streaming and remote adjustment
- Enhanced recharging capabilities
- Multi-directional microphones and noise-cancellation capabilities
- Improved speech clarity
- Automated sound profile adjustment using artificial intelligence
These features allow hearing care providers and hearing aid wearers to work together, fine-tuning their listening experience in a way that reaches well beyond simply amplifying sound.
How AI Continues to Enhance Hearing Aids
Over the last decade, hearing aid manufacturers have been working harder and harder to make switching from one listening profile to another as seamless as possible, adjusting how you hear in each situation instantly. That was only made possible thanks to artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence in hearing aids comes in two different forms: machine learning and deep neural network (DNN) processing.
Machine Learning
This type of AI uses algorithms that constantly receive sound input from your surroundings in order to develop a picture of your sound environment as it changes. Using this data, your hearing aids analyze the subtle sound changes at the rate of about 80 million calculations every hour (over 1.3 million per minute, or more than 22,000 per second).
These rapid calculations allow your hearing aids to make instant decisions to improve your listening capabilities, fine-tuning your hearing profile with incredible precision.
Deep Neural Network
DNN takes AI to a different level, going beyond anticipating how to shape input by predicting what your brain is experiencing as it processes sound signals. Although they’re based on machine learning algorithms, the calculations are called “neural” because they mimic how neurons in the brain signal one another.
With DNN, sound enters an input layer in the network, is passed through several layers of analysis, and then leaves the network as a processed sound signal that meets the needs of the auditory processing centre of your brain in order to interpret the sound.
Added Advantages of AI in Hearing Aids
In addition to improving your hearing capabilities, manufacturers like Starkey, who have been setting the standard when it comes to integrating AI capabilities into hearing aids, enhance your ability to communicate as well as monitor your overall health.
Real-Time Language Translation
Since the development of Livio AI in 2018, Starkey has made it possible for your hearing aids to provide real-time translation of other languages into a language you understand. This significantly enhances your ability to communicate with people around you, whether for business purposes or while you are enjoying some well-earned vacation time in a foreign country.
Biometric Sensors and Health Monitoring
With the production of Edge AI, Starkey introduced the concept of biometric sensors and health monitoring into hearing aids. Biometric data associated with your heart rate and your physical activities can be monitored and shared with your healthcare provider for an improved picture of your health as you are engaged in your day-to-day activities.
Also linked to your hearing aids is a fall detection feature that will alert designated contacts of your fall so someone can attend to you as quickly as possible; it’s an incredible feature for seniors and others who require special attention.
Your Better Hearing Future Starts Now
As you can see, hearing aids have come a very long way since the days of the ear horn. Thanks to modern innovations, it is now possible for your hearing aids to become more of a part of you than an inconvenient attachment to your ear.
In our modern era, there is no longer an excuse to allow your hearing to deteriorate. If those who wore those clunky old analogue hearing aids were willing to put up with them for a more active and independent lifestyle, shouldn’t you be more willing to improve your hearing with the smaller, more powerful, and highly advanced hearing aids available today?
Even as technology improves the tools used to treat hearing loss, our commitment to providing you with a very personal and customized better hearing experience is only getting stronger.
At Provincial Hearing, we are thrilled to be able to be an integral part of helping you continue to enjoy hearing the things you love and doing the things you do.
Contact us to learn more about how we combine advanced technology with personalized care online using this link. You can also give us a call at the clinic nearest you.
Truro: 1-888-897-1147
Bridgewater: 1-888-323-4111
Kentville: 1-877-257-5525
