People with hearing problems living in the developing world may have a solution on the horizon thanks to an innovative University of Alberta professor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Bill Hodgetts, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology is submitting an idea to a national competition, Grand Challenges Canada, for an iPhone/iPod Touch application that will test and amplify sound for the user.
"It's something I've been thinking about for a while," Hodgetts says. "The developing world doesn't have the people to do the testing or care - I hope my application will fill that gap."
Traditional hearing aids range in price from $2,000 to $7,000, but the cost of a $279 iPod Touch or even a $500 iPhone may be more reasonable for someone in a developing country. Already many people in developing countries own a cellular handheld--ratio of phones to people in China: 1:1.78; India: 1:2.37. With close to 300 million hearing-impaired people in the world and two-thirds of whom reside in developing nations, Hodgetts saw an opportunity to help.
Hodgetts' application would test the person's hearing and then adjust the amplification of the sound accordingly. So when the app is on, people can speak to the hearing impaired person, and the sound that's picked up from the mic is then amplified into the earphones so the person can hear more clearly. He also proposes that for every application purchased in a developed nation, one person in a developing country will receive the application for free.
"I want to develop a resource that is relatively affordable and simple - with only a phone and earphones - to make a huge difference in a person's world of hearing," explains Hodgetts, who is also program director of Bone Conduction Amplication at the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine. "And the use of cell phones and handheld devices is becoming more and more common in the developing world."
His idea is currently posted as a video submission on the Grand Challenges Canada website where viewers can vote for a winner.
The video, and the votes associated with it, will be used as part of the peer review process for this grant. If successful, Hodgetts will receive a $100,000 grant to fund the development of his idea. To view Hodgetts' impressive video and to vote for his idea by clicking on "Like", visit "VIDEO: Hearing help in the developing world: An uncoventional approach."
About the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
As the only free standing faculty of rehabilitation in Canada, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine balances its activities among learning, discovery and citizenship (including clinical practice). A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries and common spinal disorders (back pain), the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to improve the quality of life of citizens in our community. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.