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Will Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 Be Cool Aids For Better Hearing Health?
Forbes, Sept. 11, 2024 This week, Apple announced its entry into the OTC hearing aid market with the launch of its new AirPods Pro 2 true wireless earbuds... To find out more about the OTC sector and what sort of impact Apple might have on the hearing aid market, I spoke with Andrew Bellavia, who spent a considerable part of his career with the Knowles Corporation, the world’s foremost manufacturer of balanced armatures, the mini speakers used in hearing aids. Bellavia is also the founder of the hearing and communications accessibility consultancy AuraFuturity and co-hosts the This Week in Hearing podcast. He also speaks and writes about innovations in hearing care.
The Future of Hearing Assistive Technology: LE Audio and Auracast™
Hearing Matters Australia, August 2024 As hearing technology continues to evolve, new innovations are revolutionizing how people with hearing loss connect to the world around them. Two emerging technologies, LE Audio and Auracast™, promise to dramatically improve audio streaming and accessibility for hearing aid users and the broader public. Let's explore how these advancements are shaping the future of hearing healthcare.
20Q: Auracast is Here - What You Need to Know
Audiology Online, July 8, 2024 This course provides an overview of the history of Bluetooth and its shortcomings in the hearing space, leading up to Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast, and outlines the fundamental changes that these new updates to Bluetooth will usher in. The course highlights many important details, such as the timeline of the roll out, the types of use cases that Auracast will enable, and why these updates will help to alleviate the current clinician and patient frustrations with Bluetooth.
The Elephant in the Room: Ageism and Hearing Loss Stigma
LinkedIn by the Author, March 3, 2024 Hearing loss stigma is associated with that of having a disability, and that of aging. These associations are subject to larger cultural perceptions which have moved in different directions. It is necessary to understand both in order to meet people where they are and break down the stigma that they feel.
OTC Hearing Aids One Year Later - Mission Accomplished?
AudioXpress, November 3, 2023 The White House blog of August 2022 announcing the FDA’s release of the Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aid rule, which would take effect that October, highlighted the rationale for its creation: “Drive down costs, increase access, and open up a market space for creative innovation.” These were lofty goals, and there’s reason to believe they will in time be realized, but it is probably not an exaggeration to say that to date OTC hearing aids have had limited impact.
First Look at a Game-Changer: EssilorLuxottica’s New OTC Hearing Aid Glasses
LinkedIn by the Author, July 27, 2023 Could effective OTC hearing aids be created in glasses form factor? For the first time ever, I experienced EssilorLuxottica’s prototype at their Tortona Experience Center in Milan.
The Future of AI and Older Adults
Aging and Health Technology Watch, May 4, 2023 In this survey report on all the ways AI is impacting the aging journey, analyst & thought leader Laurie Orlov invited Andrew Bellavia's contribution to discuss the hearing health space.
Ear and Hearing Care for All: Why Make It Happen?
LinkedIn by the author, March 3, 2023 On World Hearing Day I considered the meaning of the WHO's theme "Ear and hearing care for all! Let's make it happen." Why is this initiative important, and what would be the societal and economic impacts of carrying it out? Find out in this 4 minute read.
Hearables in 2023 Comfort Must Come First
The Audio Voice #404, January 5, 2023
To unlock the full potential of hearables and OTC hearing aids, one fundamental still needs to be addressed - comfort. It's more than just physical fit as I explain in a guest editorial for The Audio Voice, the weekly newsletter of AudioXpress.
AirPods Pro can help people with hearing loss, but won’t replace a hearing aid – expert
Trusted Reviews, November 18, 2022 Discussed the iScience study comparing AirPods Pro to hearing aids, noting AirPods' potential benefit in noisy situations for those with milder or no measurable hearing loss. Shared steps people should take before purchasing any consumer or OTC device for their hearing features.
Announcement: 2022 Hearing Technology Innovator Awards
Hearing Health & Technology Matters, Sept 1, 2022 Quoted in press release announcing the opening of the public voting period for the third annual Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™ of which I was also invited to judge.
The Acoustical Challenges of Designing True Wireless Earphones
AudioXpress, June 28, 2022 Expanding the perspective on the evolution toward hearables, this article explores the current trends as well as the acoustical challenges and solutions for designing true wireless earphones.
The Year of Hear (pg. 23)
Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook, June 2022 The year of 2022 will see proliferation of audio devices that take into account consumers' unique hearing response, and with good reason. For decades, audio companies have played the specsmanship game with increasing precision while ignoring the biggest variable - their customers' hearing ability. This article shares how hearing changes with age, and how hearing personalization helps to deliver the best possible listening experience to a broader population.
Soon Hearing Aids Will Be Sold Over The Counter, But Could The Rules Already Be Out Of Date?
Forbes, March 4, 2022 Mark Sparrow picked up my LinkedIn piece of the previous day, saying "The hearing aid market is in something of a state of flux as new legislation on the horizon will enable people to buy devices over the counter that can help them hear more clearly if they experience mild to moderate hearing loss. Here, hearables industry insider, Andrew Bellavia, from Knowles Corp., warns that the legislation for OTC (Over the Counter) hearing devices could soon be out of date."
Is the FDA’s OTC Hearing Aid Rule Already Obsolete? Some Thoughts on World Hearing Day
LinkedIn by the author, March 3, 2022 Original article which resulted in a podcast as well as a Forbes piece by Mark Sparrow. We have already moved beyond the devices envisioned when OTC was first proposed. The coming ability to load hearing software from a third party into unregulated consumer devices after purchase threatens to render the OTC regulations obsolete even as they are finalized.
