About The Invention Of The Hearing Aid

The invention of the hearing aid highlights the compassion as well as the intelligence of modern science. For people with a hearing loss, the world has been diminished. In a very real way, these people are isolated within themselves, unable to hear ordinary conversation or extraordinary sounds like music or birds singing. The invention of the hearing aid gave these people an opportunity to experience life on all levels. From humble beginnings to its current technological state, hearing aids were invented step by step to reach success.

Early Beginnings

The invention of the hearing aid began a couple hundred years ago with an awkward-looking horn called an ear trumpet. The concept of this device was very simple; the oversized horn collected sounds and then directed them toward the eardrum. This contraption worked pretty well and provided a decent amount of amplification. Of course, the down side was their looks, their awkwardness and the fact that they called immediate attention to a person's disability.

The Implications of Electricity

Two major scientific breakthroughs contributed to the invention of the modern hearing aids: the telephone and electricity. Harnessing the power of electricity (in the form of batteries) to amplify sound was a major step forward in the invention of the hearing aid. This fundamental principle is still used today, with a tiny receiver and speaker imbedded into the hearing aid. Although using electricity and the concepts developed from the telephone improved hearing aids, generally they were still big and heavy. Some were as large as a desk radio, which made carrying them around a bit of a chore. This was because of the size of the batteries that were needed.

The invention of the hearing aid was tweaked again in the 1920s with the use of vacuum tubes that amplified the sound to a greater degree. But it wasn't until the 1930s that batteries were made small enough to make the hearing aid more portable and practical for every day use.

Hearing Aids are Still Improving

Although hearing aids were invented hundreds of years ago, the technology used to run them is still improving. The initial concept of amplifying sound has never really changed over the years, yet scientists have found ways of incorporating new discoveries into the making of hearing aids. From ear trumpets, to the very large battery-powered ones, to behind the ear models, hearing aids have evolved and improved. Today, there are even implants that make the hearing aid invisible to those around you. Yet, we still remember the early inventors and developers of the hearing aids whose work led to what we have today.