Blamey Saunders has won Australia’s Prestigious Good design of the year award along with the CSIRO Design innovation award with her dubbed Facett, which showcases a unique design, created by Leah Heiss that can serve as an innovative solution to hearing loss.
Here are all the reasons why this one particular hearing aid, stands out – The device is linked to an app and has a rechargeable auxiliary pack which can magnetically connect to the hearing aid making it much easier to use. The device can then be recharged, replaced or even upgraded while making sure that original core is kept intact. To avoid the usage of rechargeable batteries, the hearing aid can be placed inside a compact and portable drying pod which can be left overnight to completely charge.
“This product has incredible potential to make a very positive impact on people’s lives who suffer from hearing loss. The use of rechargeable batteries and magnetic coupling is highly innovative,” said the Good Design Awards judges’ statement. He also added that “Every little detail of this product has been meticulously designed with the end use in mind, right down to the magnetic charging case, colour coded units for each ear and carefully considered design aesthetic.”
The design of the hearing aid is aesthetically pleasing. It gives the user a sleek look with a geometrically coherent exterior, and is available in different colors such as a glossy white, metallic rose gold, metallic silver and matte black. The design has taken inspiration from the crystal forms in the Melbourne Museum’s mineralogy collection.
“The stunning jewel-like design does well to remove the stigma of hearing aids by drawing parallels to jewelry and wearable art,” said the GDA judges.
An app called the IHearYou makes it much more convenient to use. In order to maintain the loudness levels depending on the user, the app can be adjusted to relay the outputs. The channeling can be done through windows app, smartphone or a tablet. The device has been maneuvered to filter the sound through 96 output channels, single out the important speech and to get rid of any unwanted noises in the background.
The device is available for pre-order from Blamey Saunders’ website costing around AU$3100 for a single unit and $5990 for the pair, which can be said to be comparatively cheaper as the usual hearing aids end up costing between AU$1000 and AU$10000 unless you have been insured the basic free device via the Australian Hearing Organization.
The design was aimed at creating a product that not just serves its basic function but also acts as an aesthetically pleasing device that does not highlight a person’s disability. It offers emotional support and makes them feel more like a part of society and less of an outcast.
Designed with aesthetics borrowed from jewelry design, the Facett hearing aids feel less like medical-aid devices and more like precious accessories that people would want to wear. “Facett seeks to shift the stigma of hearing loss, to move these devices from disability to desirability,” says designer Leah Heiss. “All too often products in the category of ‘therapeutic technologies’ are medical-looking, created in skin tones — or ‘disabled beige’ as I refer to it.”
h/t: Dezeen