14 DAY TRIAL // They are available: glasses that have tiny microphones embedded on each leg and which, unlike traditional hearing aids that amplify all sounds, amplify only the sounds coming from the direction the user is looking.
One in three people over the age of 60 is suffering from hearing loss. However, only half of them use hearing aids and even the ones who are using hearing aids are often less socially engaged. This is partly because of the appearance of the hearing aids, but most importantly, because traditional hearing aids amplify sounds coming from all directions and are incapable of distinguishing background noise from speech. The result is that people often hear noise, but not the people they are speaking to.
The "hearing-glasses", named Varibel, developed by scientists from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands and now commercialized with the help of Phillips, solve this problem by incorporating four tiny microphones inside the glasses legs. Then the sound signals from the microphones are passed through a processor that determines what sounds should be amplified to the ear. This allows the glasses to dampen the surrounding noise while selectively strengthening sounds coming from in front of the user. According to the manufacturer, Varibel's sensitivity is twice that of the traditional hearing aids.
Dr. Cor Stengs, who was involved in the clinical tests, said: "Practical experience with the hearing-glasses supports the theoretical claims that the ability to understand speech is much better. There is a significant improvement in the sound quality."
Varibel allows people to hear the sounds coming from the direction in which they are looking. The audio-technician, Martin de Jong, said: "With the Varibel, the natural sounds that people enjoy are retained. This works surprisingly well. People can hear good and at the same time clearly - and especially in rooms such as in a cafe or at a birthday party."
Photo credit: Varibel
