Hearing aid history: From ear trumpets

to digital technology
It is said that time marches on and one thing is certain: hearing loss marches right along with it. The recorded
history of hearing loss goes back hundreds of years, and attempts to correct hearing loss have been in
existence since the very first person to cup their hand behind their ear.

The good news is hearing aids and other assistive listening devices have come a long way since the first
rudimentary attempts at improving hearing. Yes, hearing aid technology is still evolving and is far from perfect,
but looking back through the years of technological advances certainly allows us to put any complaints about
modern hearing aid technology in clear perspective.

13th century to 19th century: From animal horns to ear trumpets

Ear trumpets were invented in the 18th century.

As early as the 13th century, those with hearing loss were using hollowed out horns of animals such as cows
and rams as primitive hearing devices. It wasnt until the 18th century that the more modern ear trumpet was
invented. Funnel-shaped in design, ear trumpets were man's first attempt at inventing a device for treating
hearing loss. They didnt amplify sound, however, but worked by collecting sound and funneling it through a
narrow tube into the ear.

Cartoon-like and bulky, these ear trumpets and the subsequent speaking tubes didnt work all that well. But it
didnt prevent them from remaining the only option until electricity and the telephone were invented in the 19th
century.

19th century to 20th century: The first electronic hearing aids

The invention of the telephone combined with the practical application of electricity in the 19th century had a
tremendous impact effect on the development of hearing aids and other assistive hearing devices. People with
hearing loss quickly realized they could hear a conversation better through the telephone receiver held up to
their ear than they could in person. However, Thomas Edison, who experienced hearing loss firsthand, saw
room for improvement. In 1870 he invented a carbon transmitter for the telephone which amplified the electrical
signal and increased the decibel level by about 15 decibels (dB). Although an amplification of about 30 dB is
usually necessary to allow those with hearing loss to hear better, the invention of the carbon transmitter for the
telephone paved the way for the technology that would eventually be used for carbon hearing aids. Although
not ideal due to their limited frequency range and tendency to produce scratchy sound, carbon hearing aids
were in use from 1902 until the advent of the next wave of technology: vacuum tube hearing aids.

1921-1952: Vacuum tube technology

Beginning in the 1920s, hearing aids using vacuum tubes were able to increase the sound level by as much as
70 dB. These sound levels were achieved because vacuum tubes controlled the flow of electricity better than
carbon. The problem was the size. In the beginning the devices were very large, about the size of a filing
cabinet, so they were not portable. By 1924 the size of vacuum tube hearing aids had been reduced so all of
the components could fit in a small wooden box, with a receiver that the user held up to the ear. Despite the
improvement they were still heavy, bulky and conspicuous, and amplified all sound, not just the sounds the
user wanted to hear.

Improvements in technology continued in 1938 when Aurex introduced the first truly wearable hearing aids,
consisting of an earpiece, wire and receiver that could be clipped to the users clothing. Unfortunately, this
model also required the use of a battery pack that was strapped to the users leg.

Thanks to technology developed during World War II, the late 1940s finally saw the production of hearing aids
with circuit boards and button-sized batteries, allowing the batteries, amplifier and microphone to be combined
into one portable, pocket-sized unit. Even though they were marketed as discreet, the pocket unit connected to
individual earpieces with wires that made them less than appealing from a cosmetic standpoint.

Despite the advances in technology, the world still waited for small, one-piece hearing aids that could fit entirely
in the ear and truly be worn discreetly. Fortunately, they didnt have to wait long.

Mid-20th century: Transistor technology

The move to smaller, more discreet hearing aids finally got underway in 1948, when Bell Telephone
Laboratories invented the transistor. A transistor is a switch that controls the movement of electrons and thus
electricity. Transistors can start and stop the flow of a current and also control the volume of a current, making
it possible to have multiple settings in one device. Norman Krim, an engineer at Raytheon, the inventor of the
previous sub-miniature vacuum tube technology, saw the potential application for transistors in hearing aids. By
1952, Krim was able to create junction transistors for hearing aid companies. The transistor technology not only
enabled hearing aids to be made smaller, they could finally be worn either completely inside or behind the ear.
The new hearing aids were so popular and successful that over 200,000 transistor hearing aids were sold in
1953 alone, eclipsing the sale of vacuum tube hearing aids.

Capitalizing on the new technology, one of the first hearing aids to be worn almost entirely in the ear was
invented in the late 1950s by Otarion Electronics. Called the Otarion Listener, the electronics were embedded
in the temple pieces of eyeglasses. These hearing glasses caught on and versions of the technology were
soon introduced by other companies such as Beltone and Sonotone.

Late 20th century: Analog to digital

By 2005, digital hearing aids

represented 80% of the market.
Eventually, hearing aid manufacturers developed the ability to make the transistors out of silicon, enabling
hearing aids to shrink even further. Hearing aid technology closer to that which we know today was introduced
by Zenith Radio in the 1960s; in these versions, the microphone went in the ear and was connected by a small
wire to an amplifier and battery unit that was clipped to the ear. This technology stayed largely the same until
the 1980s, upon the introduction of digital signal processing chips to hearing aids. The first to use the
technology created hybrid digital-analog models (digital circuits controlling an analog compression amplifier)
until 1996, when the first fully digital hearing aid model was introduced.

21st century: High tech and new horizons

By the year 2000, hearing aids had the ability to be programmed, allowing for user customization, flexibility and
fine tuning, and by 2005 digital hearing aids represented about 80 percent of the hearing aid market.
Digital technology is the same circuitry that is used in cell phones and computers. Todays hearing aids can be
fine-tuned by a hearing care professional and customized to an individuals hearing needs. They can adapt to
different listening environments and be connected to other high-tech devices such as computers, televisions
and telephones. Features such as telecoils, Bluetooth and FM connectivity allow compatibility with other
electronic devices and accessibility in public spaces.

Yes, weve come a long way from the days of ear trumpets, and hearing aids continue to evolve as technology
advances. On the market today are products with a truly rechargeable hearing aid battery. Many hearing aids
are smart, adapting to different listening situations without the intervention of the user. Long-wearing hearing
aids, which can stay in the wearers ear canals for several weeks, have been available for several years.
Certainly in the future, hearing aids will continue to increase in performance and comfort while decreasing in
size.

Be sure to see a hearing care professional in your area to check out the latest updates in hearing technology
and find out which device is right for you. Tweet this Pin this Share this