"Difficult to hear" To you September 24, 17:46
Masks, acrylic boards, online meetings ...
Isn't it increasing that you can't hear what the other person is saying because of the corona?
Meanwhile, there are devices that are attracting attention.
Wireless earphones?
wrong.
This is a "hearing aid" that makes full use of the latest technology.
(Saki Hayakawa, Reporter, Ministry of Economic Affairs)
earphone?
hearing aid?
What kind of image do you have of "hearing aids"?
A "medical device" used by people who are deaf or have hearing loss due to aging.
I think there are many people who have such an impression.
After hearing
such a story,
"Hearing aids are evolving now," I
decided to go to the sales floor.
Hearing aids need to be fine-tuned based on the hearing of the person wearing them, so they are often handled at specialty stores, but I went to a consumer electronics mass retailer.
The 6th floor of the store.
There is a hearing aid corner on the same floor as the watch and eyeglasses department, but this is not the only department.
I was surprised to see new hearing aid products lined up on the first floor, where top-selling products such as smartphones and audio equipment are lined up.
"Light orange" "Large than earphones" "With cord" I had this image of hearing aids, but the glass cases are lined with colorful products such as red, yellow, and green.
The size and design are indistinguishable from nearby wireless earphones.
Comprehensive home appliance maker "Sharp" made a "new entry" into the hearing aid market in mid-September.
New products are lined up along with audio equipment.
Mr. Ishitani
"The concept is to have people who think that they have hearing aids use them like stylish wireless earphones, and they put their products in places other than the original sales floor. They carry them every day. I want you to use it in a style that you can put on when you need it. "
Increasing needs due to corona disaster
Why are consumer electronics manufacturers "new entrants" into the hearing aid market now?
I decided to visit a hearing aid store in Tokyo to find out why.
Mr. Daisuke Shimizu, the president, has been suffering from hearing loss due to an ear disease and has been using hearing aids for 25 years, but he says he is feeling "change" after the spread of the new coronavirus.
Online meetings for home work on masks, anti-flying acrylic boards, social distances.
It is said that an increasing number of people are saying that the words of the other party have become difficult to hear due to these corona infection control measures.
The number of people visiting Shimizu's shop for consultation is increasing.
"I couldn't see my mouth with a mask, and I felt
it was hard to hear back."
"
Because I started to take a distance at a company meeting, it became difficult to hear."
I can't hear at all when talking to a colleague in a small voice. ”Nearly
30% said that the reason was“ the effect of the mask ”.
Last year, when the first state of emergency was declared, it was closed for about two months, but it is said that the number of units sold increased by about 10% compared to the pre-infection.
President Shimizu:
"I was aware that it was hard to hear, but I managed to cover it by looking at the other person's facial expressions and mouth ... People of such working generations are coming to the store in trouble. Due to the influence of Corona, it is force majeure. An increasing number of people are aware of deafness and have no choice but to deal with it. "
Utilizing smartphone technology Feel free to work generations
The "Sharp" product, which "newly entered" in September, is aimed at people with "mild" or "moderate" deafness who have difficulty hearing low-pitched conversations.
"I want people in the working generation who find it a little hard to hear to feel free to use it."
The new design of the hearing aid, which was particular about its appearance, no longer has the image of a "medical device,"
and it feels
like "fashionable and compact sound." It was like a "device".
Not only the design but also its function is evolving.
Sharp's new hearing aid can be connected to a smartphone and switched to the "earphone function" for listening to music with a single touch.
We can also handle hands-free calls and online meetings.
In the past, when purchasing a hearing aid, you had to go to a specialty store and have a specially qualified person adjust the device to your hearing.
However, with the new product, you can connect with qualified professional staff through a dedicated smartphone app, check your hearing, make so-called "hearing" initial settings, and make settings according to the place of use online. about it.
The price is about 100,000 yen for both ears.
It's more expensive than the average wireless earphone, but it's about one-third the price of a regular hearing aid.
Mr. Takashi Ishitani, Director of Sharp
"The demand for" hearing "is extremely high due to the corona virus. We are utilizing the communication technology we have cultivated in the development of smartphones for hearing aids."
Panasonic has also commercialized a type of hearing aid that allows you to listen to audio by connecting a TV and a hearing aid wirelessly.
Despite being a medical device, hearing aids have evolved into the "latest digital devices."
"Mask mode" Overseas manufacturers are also one after another
Overseas manufacturers are also focusing on hearing aids, which are in high demand due to the corona virus.
German-born Signia hearing aids launched a new product in Japan in August last year that "makes it easier to hear the voice through the mask."
Since the mask absorbs high frequency sounds, the voice is inevitably muffled and difficult to hear.
For this reason, it is equipped with a function that can amplify the frequency by linking the hearing aid and the smartphone application and selecting "mask mode".
Equipped with AI Clear voice
The ear-hook type hearing aid released in Japan in March by Philips of the Netherlands, known for its electric toothbrushes and shavers, is equipped with AI = artificial intelligence voice processing technology.
For example, the AI of hearing aids is trained more than 10 million times to learn the state of various sounds including siren sounds of ambulances and fire engines, running sounds of trucks, and barking of dogs.
And it means that it is devised to select only the human voice from various sounds so that it can be heard clearly.
Takeda Sales Manager
"When we surveyed our customers, we received complaints about hearing aids such as" I can't hear the voice I want to hear "when talking to multiple people in a noisy environment such as a restaurant or a street corner. However, with the addition of AI technology, the sound is clearer and more convenient. "
"Hearing aids are the same as glasses"
According to the Japan Hearing Aid Industry Association, it is estimated that there are about 14 million people with hearing loss nationwide.
As the population ages, the number of hearing aid users has increased, and shipments in Japan in 2019 reached approximately 613,000 units.
The number has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
However, the percentage of people wearing hearing aids is 14% of all people with deafness.
Many people are reluctant to wear hearing aids, and there is a problem in their widespread use.
Mr. Shimizu, a hearing aid specialty store, says that he wants hearing aids to be worn as if he were wearing glasses.
President Shimizu
"I put on my hearing aids when I was 27 years old, but at first I was very reluctant. However, when I started using hearing aids later, my ability to hear words decreased and the hearing aids became less effective. It is said that those who become aware of hearing loss due to corona sickness may feel resistance at first, as I did, but improve hearing anxiety and eliminate inconvenience. In that sense, it's the same as wearing glasses. I hope that you will positively grasp the changes in the corona sickness and give you an opportunity to change your mind. "
Hearing aids that continue to evolve in both design and function.
If you feel that it's a little hard to hear, just like a person with poor eyesight wears glasses, put on a hearing aid without any resistance.
I felt that the number of such people might increase as a result of the Corona disaster.
Reporter of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
Saki Hayakawa
Joined the
station in
2009.
After working at the Niigata Bureau and the Metropolitan Area Bureau, he
was in charge of the electrical industry of the
Ministry of Economic Affairs.