History of Hearing Aids

As with all technology, hearing aids have come a long way since their conception. The history of hearing aids follows that of the advent of industrialism, invention, electricity, and technology in the late 19^th and 20^th century. Now in the 21^st century, hearing aids have become one of the most sophisticated small, electronic devices that perform exceptional wireless feats.

Pre-Electricity

In the 19^th century, and even before, the ear trumpet was used by people who were hard of hearing to amplify sounds in their surroundings. Horn-shaped, cumbersome, and rather cartoonish, ear trumpets did not do much in terms of amplification, but they did manage to funnel some sound waves to the ear. 

Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison

Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone used a carbon microphone and a battery, transmitting sounds across time and space to directly to peoples’ ears. People who struggled with hearing loss would use the receiver and microphone of the telephone to amplify sounds in conversation, though it did not necessarily work very well.

To solve this problem, inventor Thomas Edison, who struggled with hearing loss, invented the carbon transmitter, which improved sounds by 15 decibels. However, the carbon transmitter was not very popular due to its heft and small decibel range.  

The Vacuum Tube and the Western Electric Company

In 1907, Lee De Forest of Western Electric Company in New York invented the three-element vacuum tube, which was adapted in 1920 into successful hearing aids. These devices improved sounds by 70 decibels; on the downside, they were extremely heavy and large as a filing cabinet. Four years later, Western Electric improved upon this and created a newer, smaller model: a box with a receiver that people held up to their ears.

Though these worked quite well, they created a stigma around hearing loss, as people had to carry inconvenient wooden boxes around with them.

First Wearable Hearing Aid

Aurex Corp in Chicago created the first wearable hearing aid in 1938. In this original wearable model, there was a thin wire connected to a small earpiece as well as an amplifier-receiver that the wearer fastened to their clothes. The hearing aid was powered by a battery pack that the wearer wore on their leg; a wire was connected to the aid also by a thin wire.

Post World War II

Following the technological innovations that came from World War II, hearing aids began to take on a new shape. Now, the battery, amplifier, and microphone were combined in a single component, not unlike contemporary hearing aids, which could fit into a person’s pocket. For a short time, manufacturers produced “hearing glasses,” which connected the hearing aid to glasses. By the 1960s, hearing aid technology transformed into the small devices we recognize today. The first behind-the-ear model was invented in 1964.

Digital and Discreet: Hearing Aids Today

In the 1980s, hearing aid companies began to experiment with digital signal-processing chips. By 1996, fully digital models were available, with different program settings to allow for better customization and fine-tuning by wearers. A decade ago, in 2005, digital hearing aids became the preferred device by wearers.

Now, in 2015, digital wireless hearing aids boast a host of technological advances, from filtering out background noise to connecting directly to an iPhone, which allows wearers to control their hearing aid volume and program as well as stream music, media, and phone conversations directly to the hearing aid.

   You don’t have to live with untreated hearing loss. 

Contact us today to schedule a hearing test with one of our audiologists.  

Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services – (949) 364-4361