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Re:Mattel debuts first Barbie with hearing aids by glouwbug on Saturday May 14, 2022 @07:24PM (#31383703)
Don't hearing aids have to be FDA approved? There's a huge potential for something like an Earpod to gain advanced hearing capabilities. The medical powers that be, however, just regulate the market
Re:Mattel debuts first Barbie with hearing aids by mcaravey on Saturday May 14, 2022 @08:09PM (#31383982)
Yeah, which is probably why they cost thousands of dollars :(

They do get programmed to compensate for the specific hearing loss of the individual, but if there was an easy way to take a hearing test and program the earbuds at home to match, that would be amazing. The transparency mode on the Apple AirPods already uses the mic to pass through sound, but I don’t know of any way to amplify specific frequencies or to transmit sound from one side to the other (for one-sided deafness).

Re:Mattel debuts first Barbie with hearing aids by eclipticplane on Saturday May 14, 2022 @09:24PM (#31384413)
A version of cheap hearing aids not unlike being able to pick up non-prescription reading glasses for $5 at the drug store would be life altering for many. Imperfect is better than unattainable.