Hearing Aids Timeline (Sound)

By jiordann.mcg

  • Earliest Firm to Manufacture Hearing Aid

    Frederick C. Rein establishes F.C. Rein in London. This is the earliest firm to manufacture hearing aids on a commercial basis.

  • The hearing Aid uses two tubes

    Enoch Henry Currier invents a Duplex Ear-piece. Made for instructing deaf students, the hearing device uses two tubes, each ending in a bell, from one ear-piece. This enabled the person to hear the sound of his/her own voice as well as the teacher.

  • Demonstration of electric hearing aid

    Dr. Ferdinand Alt demonstrates his electric hearing aid at the Austrian Ontological Society. The hearing device used a magnetic earphone.

  • The first "Master hearing Aid"

    The Selex-A-Phone, the first “master hearing aid,” is introduced by Radioear Corporation. The master hearing aid enables a hearing aid dispenser to test which combination of microphone and receiver provides the estimate gain and frequency response most useful for the user.

  • The first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid

    The first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid made in the U.S. The first Aurex instruments use four small triode tubes of the firm’s own design.

  • Transistor hearing aids

    Transistor hearing aids are introduced and begin replacing vacuum tube hearing aids. The transistor permits other styles of hearing aids to be developed, such as the behind-the-ear model and the hearing aid built within eyeglass temples.

  • The first all-transistor hearing aid

    First all-transistor hearing aid is introduced by Microtone, in January. Consumers are quick to embrace the changeover from vacuum tube to transistor hearing aids.

  • The first electronic hearing aid eyeglasses

    The German company Akumed and the American company Otarion are the first to market electronic hearing aid eyeglasses. In Otarion’s “The Listener” model, the components were built into the two eyeglass temples and connected by wiring across the fronts.

  • The first fully automatic hearing aid

    Oticon in Denmark presents the first fully automatic hearing aid without a volume control. Called MultiFocus.

  • The Oticon Synchro

    The Oticon Synchro is among the earliest devices to use Artificial Intelligence for signal processing.

  • The first RITE

    Oticon introduces its first Receiver-in-the-Ear (RITE) hearing device, the Delta.

  • A new hearing aid design

    Sun Kyung Sunwoo, of the Sydney University of Technology, introduces a new hearing aid design, Wirear.

  • "Full"-proof hearing aid

    Siemens launches, Aquaris, a waterproof, dustproof and shock-proof hearing aid.