I may be dating myself with this one, but today’s hearing devices are eerily beginning to remind me of Lee Majors in the “Six Million Dollar Man.” The mid-1970s TV show and franchise was provocative for its time but is rather common place today.
Major, the show’s hero portrayed the aforementioned title character, a guy who had undergone radical surgery to save his life. Medical scientists embedded nano-technology into his body to give him a normal life.
Of course, these granted him extraordinary strength and agility as well. Since his ears had to be fixed after the traumatic accident, he also had the ability to hear sounds that normal men and women could not.
Back then it was a work of dramatic science fiction and clever editing. Today however, the technology is becoming readily available.
Listening instruments began as a way to augment audio so those suffering from sensory loss could pick up sounds better. But as digital circuitry becomes smaller and our materials become smarter, much more is possible.
When you wear some of the most advanced earpieces, your abilities become more efficient and capable than humanly possible. Not only do you hear better, but you’re able to pick out particular sounds, dampen unwanted noise or listen to music with an “EQ” optimization effect.
Keep in mind that the best instruments are invisible, or completely in canal, so you don’t even know the wearer has one. Just like Lee Majors. Fortunately, the projected costs of those extraordinary abilities have come way down from $6 million.
At this rate, it doesn’t seem long before folks without the need will begin donning similar technology to get a leg up on the competition. For instance, a spy or detective trying to solve a case can always use super sonic abilities. Humans are always pushing the boundaries of nature and it isn’t likely to end with hearing devices.
REFERENCES:
http://oticonusa.com/Oticon/Professionals/professional_products/ConnectLine/FAQ.html
http://unitron.com/content/unitron/us/en/consumer/hearing_aids-c/what_is_a_hearingaid.html
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/digital_aid.htm
http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2008/080617/f080617b/