WeHear Ear+, a $200 hearing aid that has revolutionised the world of people with hearing loss

Ahmedabad, Gujarat Jan 15, 2022 (Issuewire.com) – The latest report of WHO has stated that over 5% of the world’s population (432 million adults and 34 million children) is in need of rehabilitation to address its ‘disabling’ hearing loss. These reports also state that by 2050 over 700 million people or one in every ten people will have disabling hearing loss. According to the definition given by WHO, any person suffering from hearing loss greater than 35 decibels (dB) in the better hearing ear is said to have a disabling hearing loss. Nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, among those older than 60 years, over 25% are affected by disabling hearing loss. Furthermore, several studies suggest that more than 1 billion young people from the age of 12 to 35 are at a risk for hearing loss due to unsafe listening habits.

Today markets in India and across the world are inundated with hearing aids that are meant to effectively amplify the surrounding sounds and help those suffering from mild to moderate hearing loss. But they are not effective for people suffering from severe hearing loss. Although there are more effective solutions like Cochlear Implants and BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aids) available in the market, they need surgery and are very costly. Today there are several government policies and campaigns conducted by organizations like the Indian Red Cross and WHO in partnership with UNESCO and other regional organizations. These organizations are tirelessly working towards the rehabilitation of individuals suffering from hearing impairment. But as it has been estimated by WHO, in India, there are approximately 6.3 crore people, who are suffering from Significant Auditory Impairment. Of these, a large percentage is of children between the ages of 0 to 14 years. To rehabilitate these many individuals, there is a requirement of unconventional and affordable methods that will not only enable the government and institutions to rehabilitate individuals suffering from hearing loss, but also enable them in preventing any further increase in these numbers.

Kanishka Patel and his unique innovation, WeHear Ear+ Hearing Aid device.

Today several young innovators across the world have started to build devices that can easily help people suffering from physical impairments. And amongst such innovators, one is Kanishka Patel, a 25-year-old engineering graduate from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Kanishka is currently the CEO and Co-founder of WeHear Innovations Pvt Ltd., a start-up that is the first Indian manufacturer dedicated to developing hearing aids, ear health-friendly solutions, and audio care devices. With his fervently innovative approach and industrious R&D team, he has developed state-of-the-art audio care devices which not only can help individuals with hearing loss listen, but can also prevent hearing loss. One of these unique and state-of-the-art audio care devices is the ‘WeHear Ear+’ Hearing Aids.

WeHear Ear+ is a unique Hearing Aid device and amongst the first of its kind in India. It works on Bone Conduction Technology that bypasses the physical ear and sends sounds directly to the brain. Any individual suffering from hearing any issue in the physical part of the ear such as eardrums, ear-canal, and ossicles, can easily hear with the help of Bone Conduction Technology. Since WeHear Ear+ gives dual device connectivity, it can be easily connected to the phone while being connected to the Ear+ device. It can be used by people suffering from conductive hearing loss, major conductive hearing loss, hearing loss due to accidental damages, mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, and hard-of-hearing people. Apart from this the other features of WeHear Ear+ Hearing Aid are noise cancellation, AUX mode that connects the device with TV and Radio, Bluetooth and dual device connectivity, 8-hour long use with just 45 minutes of recharge. It also provides personalized sound settings with no whistling noise and a comfortable and trendy design that does not look like an aid.  Moreover, the Ear+ device comes with a 3-year product warranty and lifetime support from a Made in India brand.

Through projects and campaigns like Project Shruti and Sambhde Aravalli, a project launched by the Indian Red Cross Society Modasa in association with WeHear and ‘Friends of Aravalli’ (a local support group devoted to the development of district Aravalli), several hearing tests have been conducted by the WeHear team.  Also, through these campaigns, the ‘WeHear Ear+’ Hearing Aid device has been donated to several individuals with hearing loss, from the age of 7 to 75 across Ahmedabad and Aravalli.

With the help of the revolutionary ‘WeHear Ear+’ device, many individuals with hearing loss have been rehabilitated into the mainstream. Today they are growing in every aspect of their life like any other individual. Kanishka and the team of WeHear are extremely glad and proud to have been able to bring about such a valuable difference in the lives of these individuals

#HearSafeBeSafe #HearWithoutYourEars