| Hearings aids have been around for centuries, in some | | | | speech, effectively so that the person has a better |
| form or another. They have provided relief for older | | | | sense of what is being said to them. Although hearing |
| people who have lost the ability to hear as clearly as | | | | aids have seen tremendous transformations over the |
| when they were younger. Hearing aids also assist | | | | years, the concept has remained the same. Most |
| people who may have a hearing problem because of | | | | hearing aids still utilize basic principles to help the |
| underlying medical issues. Hearing aids have a rich | | | | hard-of-hearing. |
| history, and have truly seen amazing advances over | | | | The three basic components of a hearing aid are |
| the past two centuries. | | | | microphone, amplifier and the receiver. The microphone |
| The first version of a hearing aid was invented in the | | | | serves as the reception device that captures sound |
| early 1500's. These early devices were crafted from | | | | waves. The microphone is responsible for taking |
| wood and designed to look like the ears of animals | | | | auditory sounds (sounds that humans can hear) and |
| known for excellent auditory perception. It was not until | | | | converting them into electronic sounds that are |
| 1800, however, that hearing aids became a consumer | | | | detected by the amplifier. The amplifier takes the |
| product. Manufacturers then created trumpet hearing | | | | sounds transmitted from the microphone and makes |
| aids, but they only produced them on a very small | | | | them louder. Hearing aids are often designed for |
| scale. By the end of the 19th century, hearing aids | | | | specific hearing needs; this is because amplifiers can |
| were mass produced and very large in size. The first | | | | "choose" which sounds to augment. In modern hearing |
| well-known product was a tabletop model and cost | | | | aids, precision amplifiers often eliminate background |
| somewhere in the $400 range. Obviously, only the | | | | noise. The receiver simply serves as a speaker |
| affluent in society could afford the model during this | | | | function and converts sound waves from auditory to |
| period. | | | | electronic. |
| Hearing aids amplify sounds, especially voice and | | | | |