History of Deaf Technology
Emma Reilly
16th Century
- Recorded the first ear trumpets in his book
- Shaped like the ears of animals with particularly good hearing
- Wooden
Marcus Banzer
17th century
- Records first attempt of recreating the tympanic membrane (eardrum)
- Used to conduct sound directly into the eardrum
- Only effective with low hearing loss
Ear Fins
Bone conduction discovered in the 18th century, so a "fin" like device is placed behind the ear to catch sound and send it to the three bones in the eardrum
Ear Fins
19th Century
Hearing Aids
- Efforts to conceal hearing aids begins
- Made in skin or hair colors
- Some men hide them within their beards
- They are integrated into collars, headpieces, and hairstyles
- Royalty had them built into their thrones
- Ear tubes are invented
20th Century
20th Century
1900-1920
- electric hearing aids begin being used
- Used a carbon microphone
- Based on AG Bell's phone design, but he was not involved
- ineffective against serious hearing loss
1920-1940 Vacuum Tube Age
- Expensive (required 2 batteries)
- more portable, but still awkward
- Earl C Hansen invented
1950-1980 Transistor Hearing Aid
- BTE and ITE devices begin distribution
- Contained analog tech
- More comfortable and discreet
- Limited ability to discern sound and speech
20th Century Cont ...
1980s-2000s Digital Hearing Age
- Digital Sound Processors introduced to hearing aids
- Size shrinks
Cont ...
Present to the Future
Present / Future
- Bluetooth will likely become a factor
- Allows for hearing aids to be connected to nearby devices and wifi.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: hearing tech will become more accessible and cheaper
P-F
Cochlear Implants
Cochlear Implant
Early 1800s
- Alessandro Volta (inventor of the electric battery) noted that electricity could stimulate the auditory system.
- Described it as sounding like boiled soup
1855
- Duchenne de Boulogne stimulated the auditory system using an alternating current rather than a direct current
- Heard buzzing hissing, bubbling like Volta
1930
- Wever and Bray recorded electric potential and studied how replicating them could be used to restore / replace hearing
Cochlear Continued
1957
- André Djourno and Charles Eyriès were the first to perform direct electrical stimulation of the auditory system
- Patient could discriminate different intensities, but frequencies were not discernible
- Failed after a few weeks
1960-1970s
- Various study teams improved the implant until the first single-electrode and multi-electrode systems were developed
1982
- First modern implant is used
WORKS CITED
Freuler, Patrick. “Hearing Aid Timeline:
Visual History.” Audicus, 7 Oct. 2014, www.audicus.com/hearing-aid-timeline-visual-history/.
Eshraghi, Adrien A, et al. “The Cochlear
Implant: Historical Aspects and Future Prospects.” National Center For Biotechnology Information, PubMed Central, 8 Oct. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921065/.
works cited