As technologies rapidly develop, the hearing-health sector is seeing major improvements in the size, power and capability of hearing aids. Here, Ross Turnbull, Director of Business Development and Product Engineering at application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) specialist Swindon Silicon Systems, explores the role of custom ICs in advancing hearing aid designs.
According to the British Academy of Audiology, there are an estimated 11 million people in the UK with hearing loss, making it the country’s second most common disability. However, while hearing aids could help 6.7 million people, only around 2 million currently use them.
Hearing aids can be extremely beneficial to users’ quality of life. Especially as hearing aid use has been found to reduce the risk of dementia among those with hearing loss, it is vital that any barriers that are preventing people from using them are addressed.
Thankfully, hearing aid technology has developed significantly in recent years, largely due to the opportunities for advancement offered by ASICs.
With custom ICs, there is the ability to design smaller devices with more power efficiency, boosted by features such as streaming, phone calls and binaural synchronisation to link up settings between hearing aids.
Modern hearing aid features enabled by ASICs
1) Discrete and compact size
Given it is now possible for hearing aids to be so small and discrete as to be marketed as ‘invisible’, their reduction in size over recent years has been remarkable.
Among invisible hearing aids, there are two main types: ones that are completely in the canal (CIC) and others that are invisible in the canal (IIC). For both types, their size and sophistication would be difficult to achieve using standard ICs alone.
Size is a key benefit of ASICs as they can be designed to be much smaller than commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) ICs. Also, the limited functionality of COTS means that multiple chips will often be required to achieve the same results as a single, tailored ASIC.
By taking up such little space in an electronics system, ASICs make it easier for engineers to design devices as compact and effective as invisible hearing aids.
2) AI features
Increasingly, AI and machine learning are being used in hearing aid designs to allow for smart features like tinnitus therapy and advanced noise differentiation.
For a long time, a major challenge with hearing aids has been their effectiveness in busy environments. However, developments in modern technologies mean they are better able to respond to differing noise levels, improving the experience for users.
With real-time processing, devices can learn from the sounds surrounding a user to know which ones to prioritise, minimising the volume of background noise and amplifying the sound they most need to hear.
Keeping in mind the developments to design more discrete hearing aids, the new advanced features are increasing the demands on electrical systems, adding to the need for small, powerful and specialised chips.
3) Power efficiency
Improvements in battery life and energy consumption have allowed modern hearing aids to charge more quickly, run for longer between charges and handle more energy-intensive tasks like phone calls and music streaming.
As the power demands on hearing aid electronics grow, the need for custom technology that can keep up with the developments is more essential than ever.
The tailored specificity of ASICs allows them to maximise power efficiency and meet the device’s requirements with minimum energy consumption.
4) Health monitoring
Another incredible feature of modern hearing aids is their ability to monitor multiple aspects of health, such as physical activity and heart rate.
They even have the potential to detect when a user has fallen, a particular concern for older people. If a user does fall, hearing aids with fall-detection features can send out an automatic alert to emergency contacts and services.
Of the 11 million people in the UK affected by hearing loss, 8 million are aged 60 and over. For any of those at risk of falls, a hearing aid with these features will give them and their loved ones extra peace of mind.
Again, this level of sophistication requires efficient, powerful and reliable electronics. Standard ICs generally become obsolete more quickly than custom ICs, increasing the risk of technical issues over time.
Yet, with hearing aids being used in situations of urgent health issues like falls, manufacturers cannot take the risk of insufficient electronic systems.
ASICs offer a level of reliability beyond COTS that make them the sensible choice for modern hearing aids.
To find out more about how ASICs are contributing to advancements in hearing aid technology, get in touch with Swindon Silicon Systems.
