According to a recent Interesting Engineering article, there are over 200 million people worldwide who have difficulty hearing, but can afford hearing aids. Fortunately, researchers at Georgia Tech took upon themselves to develop a solution in the form of an open-sourced DIY hearing aid that costs just $1 when bought in bulk.
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The device is known as LoCHAid, and it’s a minimalist hearing aid that focuses on solving age-related hearing loss by narrowing the range of sound frequency amplification. The prototype uses a 3D printed case and is powered by regular AA or lithium ion coin-cell batteries. Although the LoCHAid only lasts up to 18 months, I think it’s worth about a nickel a month to improve your hearing. More details on the project can be seen here.
