OTSync: The future of personalized OTC hearing care
- Program: Biomedical Engineering
- Course: EN.580.X12 BME Design Team
Project Description:
In October 2022, the FDA introduced regulations for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids (HAs) to make hearing care more accessible for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss (MMHL). This regulation allows for the purchase of non-prescription aids at potentially lower costs than prescription-grade devices. However, several challenges have emerged, including consumer confusion due to the wide variety of models and difficulties in selecting the most suitable one. Other issues involve the mislabeling of personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) as HAs and the lack of prediction methods of user satisfaction. Given these issues, we believe that adults with MMHL need a better way to find and monitor suitable hearing aids. We propose a platform that assists users in selecting their device based on personal preferences and confirmed hearing loss range, and tracks the performance of that device based on the improvement or not of the user’s hearing abilities.
Project Photo:
The image shows a smartphone with an application for hearing aid matching open, flanked by hearing aid devices, a stylus pen, a notepad, equipment used for hearing aid testing and a plant.
