COMMUNICATION
Sean Missal Hunter Frerich Nolan Leh
COMMUNICATION
ASSISTING AND ADVANCING LISTENING.
In the United States, over 37 million individuals suffer from some form of hearing loss. This would create the largest disability class, though hearing loss not officially recognized as a disability. This leads many users to take up to eight years before being fitted for a hearing aid while dealing with impaired hearing. The stigma behind the hearing aid and its association with a disability was the largest driving force behind users waiting, followed by poor accessibility and poor adjustability due to small controls. Our goal was to eliminate the stigma associated with hearing impairment, while emphasizing trends and current technology. The wearable device uses a unique form factor to not relate it to any other hearing apparatus on the market. Creating a unique device makes it dissociable with the market, and viewed more as an entry into the technology market then the medical. By not covering the ear the device makes the user still appear approachable, and not closed off from the world, inviting conversation. Adjustment of the device was moved onto the the users smartphone. Not only does this allow for users to easily change settings, but the processing power of a smartphone can personalize and adjust the hearing directly for the user, diagnosing on the fly. This interface can also benefit the general earphone wearer, not onyl the impaired. Identifying speech and important information automatically, while also pairing with other devices in the environment gives the everyday person added listening and communication ability that everyone can benefit from.
Hearing
86 Battery
Adjustability and Audiogram
Paired Bluetooth Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing Settings
Audiogram
Send Environment Conversations Listening
Noise
Environment
86 Battery
Adaptability and Device Pairing
Paired Bluetooth Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing Environment Places
Pairing
Conversations Listening
People
Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing
Listening
Environment
Ambient News Feed
Conversations Listening Feed
Social
You listened to...
2:04 PM
You Spoke to Tim
2:15 PM
+ Burial By Miike Snow + + + +
Devices
Conversation length: 20 min. Notes: Hiking Tuesday
You were at...
2:45 PM
Starbucks Coffee Meeting length: 20 min.
You listened to...
3:02 PM
Loud Pipes by Ratatat
You were at... WWU Campus
3:10 PM
86 Battery Paired Bluetooth Home Environment
Conversations
65 Volume
Hearing
Speech Improvement and Assistant
Environment Conversations Speech
Assistant
Listening
Ranking
y t i l i b i s s e c Ac
Te exp ch lod valid Blu ed ati eto -ish on oth vie 4.0 w
COMMUNICATION
ASSISTING AND ADVANCING LISTENING.
In the United States, over 37 million individuals suffer from some form of hearing loss. This would create the largest disability class, though hearing loss not officially recognized as a disability. This leads many users to take up to eight years before being fitted for a hearing aid while dealing with impaired hearing. The stigma behind the hearing aid and its association with a disability was the largest driving force behind users waiting, followed by poor accessibility and poor adjustability due to small controls. Our goal was to eliminate the stigma associated with hearing impairment, while emphasizing trends and current technology. The wearable device uses a unique form factor to not relate it to any other hearing apparatus on the market. Creating a unique device makes it dissociable with the market, and viewed more as an entry into the technology market then the medical. By not covering the ear the device makes the user still appear approachable, and not closed off from the world, inviting conversation. Adjustment of the device was moved onto the the users smartphone. Not only does this allow for users to easily change settings, but the processing power of a smartphone can personalize and adjust the hearing directly for the user, diagnosing on the fly. This interface can also benefit the general earphone wearer, not onyl the impaired. Identifying speech and important information automatically, while also pairing with other devices in the environment gives the everyday person added listening and communication ability that everyone can benefit from.
Hearing
86 Battery
Adjustability and Audiogram
Paired Bluetooth Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing Settings
Audiogram
Send Environment Conversations Listening
Noise
Environment
86 Battery
Adaptability and Device Pairing
Paired Bluetooth Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing Environment Places
Pairing
Conversations Listening
People
Home Environment 65 Volume
Hearing
Listening
Environment
Ambient News Feed
Conversations Listening Feed
Social
You listened to...
2:04 PM
You Spoke to Tim
2:15 PM
+ Burial By Miike Snow + + + +
Devices
Conversation length: 20 min. Notes: Hiking Tuesday
You were at...
2:45 PM
Starbucks Coffee Meeting length: 20 min.
You listened to...
3:02 PM
Loud Pipes by Ratatat
You were at... WWU Campus
3:10 PM
86 Battery Paired Bluetooth Home Environment
Conversations
65 Volume
Hearing
Speech Improvement and Assistant
Environment Conversations Speech
Assistant
Listening
Ranking
y t i l i b i s s e c Ac
Te exp ch lod valid Blu ed ati eto -ish on oth vie 4.0 w
