Tech & Design

•Hand-tracking tech is making sign language much better in virtual reality. (11.1.22)

•TikTok is a little fascinated with an ASL interpreter's good vibes. (10.13.22)

•Deseret News wonders if headphone companies will take over the hearing-aid market. (8.28.22)

•Disneyland Paris introduces audio descriptions for folks with hearing issues. (8.25.22)

•Consumer Reports take a gander at the auto captioning of Facebook, Zoom, Google Meet, and YouTube -- and the results aren't great. (8.24.22)

•Samsung will have sign-language interpreters at its stores in Korea to mark the launch of a new product. (8.24.22)

•Bose has abandoned its hearing-aid plans. (8.1.22)

•New Smart glasses allow for live captioning of conversations. (7.29.22)

•A writer kvells about how the Sonos Ray and Roam are great for the hard of hearing. (7.25.22)

•An Israeli startup aims to make this year's World Cup much more accessible to the deaf around the globe. (7.24.22)

•Colorado's Brewability has put in a vibrational dance floor for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. (7.20.22)

•A new app, Tuned, aims to make the testing and fitting of hearing aids something that users can do easily at home. (7.12.22)

•An expansion of captioning tools is helping the DHH community. (7.4.22)

•Envoy Medical and the Mayo Clinic are starting a feasibility study for an ear implant. (6.21.22)

•Here's a rundown of smart-home products for the hard of hearing. (6.10.22)

•A Chinese developer who is hard of hearing has created a voice-to-text app to help other hard-of-hearing folks. (6.9.22)

•There's an American Sign Language XBox channel on Twitch now. (5.31.22)

•A San Francisco startup is using speech-recognition tech to help the deaf and hard of hearing. (5.5.22)

•Bose is getting out of the hearing aid marketplace. (5.4.22)

•This Texas baby is likely the youngest American to receive cochlear implants. (5.4.22)

•Spiders may lead the way toward the next developments in hearing-aid design. (5.4.22)

•New glasses designed in Slovenia called Voicee provide live-time captioning for the DHH. (4.29.22)

•Snapchat has added hearing aids as options for its Bitmoji avatars. (4.28.22)

•Amazon and Starkey have teamed up so folks can stream Amazon's Fire Cube to their hearing aids. (4.28.22)

•A partnership between RIT and Mitre aims to make cellphones more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing folks. (4.27.22)

•Snapchat has created a tool to help folks learn sign language. (4.5.22)

•Apple is developing advanced features for a hearing aid. (3.31.22)

•A new program helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children better differentiate sounds. (3.30.22)

•The Oscars' ASL livestream pulled in 300,000 viewers. (3.29.22)

•These new earbuds are designed for hard-of-hearing users. (3.25.22)

•The New York Times reports on how over-the-counter hearing aids may finally bring prices down on the long-time big-bucks technology expense. (3.2.22)

•The video game "Forza Horizon 5" now has support via ASL. (2.28.22)

•A teenager in Mexico has developed an app to help his deaf sister communicate. (1.5.22)

•Tactile music devices are helping the deaf enjoy music in South Korea. (12.29.21)

•Streaming companies are improving subtitles to enhance the experience for folks who can't hear everything. (12.27.21)

•Meta has added access to sign language interpreters for Portal video calls. (12.16.21)

•The Gamer Awards gave some attention to Forza Horizon 5 for including ASL as an option for its users. (12.9.21)

•Healthy Hearing shares its contenders for Best Apps for the deaf and hard of hearing. (12.6.21)

•Take a gander at how hearing aids are made in America. (12.3.21)

•These two teens built a sign-language translator during the pandemic. (12.3.21)

•A new robotic device helps ease the surgical process of cochlear implants. (11.29.21)

•Gallaudet teamed up with AppTek to launch GoVoBo, an app that is designed to create a more engaging experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing videoconference users. (11.18.21)

•Apple is prepping to offer its AirPods as hearing aids. (11.17.21)

•The debut of Marvel's "Eternals" and the first deaf superhero in that franchise has apparently inspired a massive spike in people Googling "learn sign laguage for beginners. " (11.13.21)

•A 17-year-old made an app to make watching Disney films easier for the deaf community. (11.7.21)

•Forza Horizon 5, the new video game from Microsoft's Playground Games, has ASL interpreters built right into the program. (11.5.21)

•Sign-Speak, the software in development that translates ASL into English and vice versa, gets more press. (z-z11.1.21)

•Here are eight games that use speech-to-text for deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers. (10.26.21)

•Samsung customer support now features Sign Language Support. (10.12.21)

•Microsoft is using British Sign Language for the first time in a digital billboard campaign across the UK. (10.11.21)

•A company in Rochester, NY, has created "Sign-Speak," a program that translates ASL into text or speech. (10.6.21)

•The FDA has cleared a thumb-sized robot for placing cochlear implants. (10.4.21)

•A new invention allows deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers to "hear" the sounds in video games with LED lights. (10.4.21)

•NBC gives some love to the new dime-sized lens of a hearing aid that seems primed to upend the industry. (9.22.21)

•Apple's iOS15 has a memoji with a cochlear implant. (9.21.21)

•Snapchat has released new stickers and augmented reality lenses that teach the basics of fingerspelling. (9.21.21)

•Here's how smart-home tech can be optimized for the hard of hearing. (9.13.21)

•Artificial intelligence is being used in an Amsterdam train station to provide answers in sign language to deaf travelers. (9.7.21)

•The New York Times takes a look at whether hearing aids will ever be hip. (8.30.21)

•In Palo Alto, California, a home is specifically designed to help a deaf couple easily communicate with each other and others. (8.30.21)

•A new extension from Google Chrome allows for onscreen ASL translation for Disney+ films. (8.28.21)

•A new app, fingerspelling.xyz, helps folks learn the proper hand positions for sign language. It even corrects your poor hand positions in real time. (8.27.21)

•The latest earbuds from Jabra are built for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. (8.18.21)

•Cheaper and sleeker over-the-counter hearing aids will apparently be available next year. It remains to be seen how well they perform. (8.5.21)

•A Northeastern graduate student has built a tactile sign language robot to help deaf blind people communicate better. (8.4.21)

•Lots of ads are out there these days for Personal Sound Amplification Products, but folks shouldn't confuse PSAPs with hearing aids. (8.4.21)

•New Jersey is now offering free wireless devices to some deaf and hard-of-hearing residents to help access information services, such as telehealth. (8.4.21)

•AARP has the lowdown on three innovations that have changed things for the hard of hearing, such as glasses that turn speech into subtitles. (8.2.21)

•A website has been launched targeted to the deaf Catholic community. (8.1.21)

•Hearing aids with Bluetooth capabilities are expected to see a significant increase in revenue in the next four years. (7.27.21)

•Newcomer hearing-aid manufacturer Whisper is also getting into the production of Android phones. (7.21.21)

•One communications CEO breaks down how the FCC could provide tech funding to help the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. (7.21.21)

•Vibrating vests are helping deaf concertgoers enjoy the show. (7.21.21)

•Twitter has added captions for voice tweets. (7.16.21)

•Apple and Gallaudet have teamed up to showcase deaf-friendly businesses on Apple Maps. (7.12.21)

•The American Heart Association is using technology to help give more access to health information to the deaf community. (7.12.21)

•The new gloves invented by students that translate Filipino Sign Language to speech are pretty cool but are also getting some resistance from Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing groups. (7.9.21)

•Discover goes in-depth on how exactly cochlear implants work. (5.5.21) It added a second part in July. (7.6.21)

•A new hearing aid "contact" out of Germany that sits against the eardrum is finding some success. (7.5.21)

•Artificial intelligence is helping hearing aids work better. (7.1.21)

•Medical News Today shares its thoughs on the best apps for learning ASL. (6.29.21)

•The University of Alabama is teaching Deaf and hard-of-hearing students about cybersecurity at a summer camp. (6.29.21)

•Hearing aid batteries may be a big part of the future of renewable energy. (5.27.21)

•Apple is launching different tools to help make its products more accessible, including SignTime, which provides on-the-spot ASL translation for its AppleCare and Retail Customer Care platforms. (5.19..21)

•Researchers at the University of Freiberg have developed a new cochlear implant that uses micro-LEDs in the cochlea. (5.19.21)

•Bose is now in the hearing-aid business with $850 FDA-approved SoundControl hearing aids. (5.11.21)

•Forbes takes a gander at new hearing aids that look like earbuds. (5.4.21)

•For one week in Britain, every time someone says '"You're on mute" during an online meeting, a donation will be made to help deaf children. (5.4.21)

•Deaf artist and designer Myles de Bastion took on a project to show how Virtual Reality could benefit the deaf and hard of hearing. (5.4.21)

•A graduating senior at Arizona State University has designed an app, EqualComm, that aims to give real-time ASL interpreting and help solve deaf-hearing communication issues. (4.30.21)

•A new online game that is free uses machine learning to teach people the basics of ASL. (4.26.21)

•Attempts are being made to improve cochlear implants that make it so the nerve cells in the ear are stimulated by light rather than electricity. (4.26.21)

•A Google ad at the Oscars highlighted the different ways the deaf use technology to communicate -- and pulled a few heartstrings along the way. (4.25.21)

•If you've got mild hearing loss, AARP suggests there are a few tech options that could help you other than just hearing aids. (4.22.21)

•Eight-year-old twins created a new app, Listen Up!, that aims to help hard-of-hearing folks. (4.15.21)

•A new platform has been launched in China that translates speech to text to help DHH folks with understanding speeches and live events as they happen. (4.15.21)

•Ace ASL is a just-launched app to help folks learn American Sign Language. (4.13.21)

•Changes in technology and government policy may equate to many more people having access to hearing aids. (4.12.21)

•Machine learning is changing the quality of hearing aids. (4.9.21)

•TikTok has added an auto-caption feature that makes the social-media juggernaut much more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing folks. (4.6.21)

•A San Francisco startup, Ava, is aiming to make conversations easier for all with improvements in live captioning. (4.4.21)

•This couple in Maine, inspired by their cochlear-implant-wearing son, are creating products for children with hearing issues. (3.31.21)

•An Australian researcher has developed new safety standards for bionic devices, such as cochlear inplants and pacemakers. (3.30.21)

•A startup in San Francisco has created a hearing aid that "self-improves" using artificial intelligence. (3.29.21)

•The Wall Street Journal gives an overview of all the new hearing-assistance technology. (3.27.21)

•Ford has developed a clear mask to help deaf and hard of hearing during the pandemic. (3.23.21)

•UnitedHealthCare has rolled out a new virtual option in order to cut down on in-office visits for hearing aid fittings and adjustments. (3.22.21)

•Some researchers are pushing a new hearing-assistance app rather than hearing aids. (3.22.21)

•Veterans and others can receive free captioned phone service. (3.19.21)

•Google Chrome can now add real-time captions to video and audio while it's playing. (3.18.21)

•Artificial Intelligence is working its way deeper into hearing-aid design. (3.17.21)

•A startup in Maine, CoAmplify, is making winter hats that hold kids' cochlear implants in place. (3.15.21)

•The Food and Drug Administration has given Veterans Affairs special permission to use a 3D printer to create a stent to help a veteran who has a rare medical condition that causes his ear canal to collapse and muffle sound. (3.12.21)

•Australian scientists are working on a medicine that could help reinstate better hearing through the regrowth of damaged hair cells in the inner ear. (3.10.21)

•Consumer Reports has some advice on how to fix annoying hearing-aid problems. (3.3.21)

•The rise in videoconferencing has led to adaptations to how ASL is being used. (2.26.21)

•Sign1News, a digital news network for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers that reports current events using American Sign Language, is based in Atlanta and has launched. (2.26.21)

•Bluetooth hearing aids appear to be getting better.

•Technology is helping deaf professionals communicate.

•The Georgia city of Milton has approved the expenditure of thousands of dollars to put technology into the municipal court there that will help hard-of-hearing vistors in attendance hear what's happening better. Let's hope it doesn't need to be used much.

•Texas now has a driving course designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

•This new hearing aid has more of the look and feel of an earbud.

•The latest version of iOS has a few elements built in to help the hearing and visually impaired.

•The solutions that are helping deaf and hard-of-hearing people during the pandemic may end up benefiting the broader population.

•The physical design of a space can make it much more conducive for hard-of-hearing people to live and work in.

•The San Diego Union Tribune takes a gander at what's new in hearing aids.

•Widex is trying to get its newest hearing aids to sound, well, not like a hearing aid.

•A hearing aid that can read your pulse and call 911 if something happens has won an Innovation in Aging award.

•A new aid from Starkey uses artificial intelligence and apparently can "track body and brain health."

Through the use of tech, CART transcribers are more and more being found offsite from where a lesson is being given.

Advanced Bionics is recalling a few of its cochlear implants because of "a decrease in performance experienced by some recipients."

The Hough Ear Institute in Oklahoma City claims to be getting much closer to creating a pill that would help restore hearing after noise-induced hearing loss.

Elementary school kids in Arkansas designed an app so they could communicate more easily with their friends who communicate using ASL.

New tech may help cochlear implant wearers be able to hear the pitch of language better.

The podcasting world has its share of deaf and hard-of-hearing players.

SignVote, a new digital tool formed by Communication Service for the Deaf, aims to help deaf individuals through the election process.

A group of biotech companies in the Boston area are doing what they can to help those with hearing issues.

Android 10 features a Sound Amplifier app that increases, filters, and adjusts the sounds immediately surrounding the user (as long as the user is wearing wired headphones).

Popular Science designed a whole house that takes into account the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing residents.

TechieGamers.com picks out what it thinks are the best cordless phones for hard-of-hearing folks.

Huawei's StorySign, an app that uses sign language to help kids learn to read, also helped the brand look pretty good, too.

Broadway's "Come From Away" is experimenting with smart glasses that provide captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees.

3D printing is being used to create better cochlear implants.

You want a history of digital hearing aids? Medical Device Network is all over it.

The new Jeenie app gives you an ASL interpreter with the push of a button via video call.

This year's Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas featured a few interesting hearing aids, particularly with Bluetooth's LE Audio. One $6,000 wireless aid from Phonak is creating particular buzz. OrCam debuted a hearing=assistance device driven by artificial intelligence.

Apple's AirPods can now act as a kind of FM unit with your iPhone acting as the transmitter.

Amplifon, which has Miracle Ear as a subsidiary, had an app created to help customers be more comfortable with their aids and learn how to use them effectively.

The new HeardThat app, set to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas in January, tamps down background noise.

British schoolchildren have won an app-design contest with the creation of Connect Hearo, an app that transcribes school lessons for DHH students. The app is now under development.

Meet the 25-year-old Kenyan who invented smart gloves that translate sign language into speech. He was inspired when his six-year-old deaf niece was having trouble communicating with her family.

The FDA has said yes to a new implantable bone conduction hearing system from Cochlear Ltd.

Several Israeli tech companies are heavily invested in the hearing-device market.

Want a look back at how far tech and design have come in hearing devices? The Hearing Journal has it covered.

Windows Report gives its lowdown on the best TV soundbars, best phone amplifiers, and best TV headphones for the hard of hearing.

A deaf player shares his thoughts on VR Sports and Egaming.

Starkey gives the lowdown on how Artificial Intelligence is changing hearing aids.

A tech developer has invented a new guitar to help the deaf and blind learn to play the instrument.

Starkey's Livio hearing aid is on Time's list of the year's 100 best inventions. The aid can stream music, translate languages, and detect when people have fallen, among other things.

The line between AirPods and hearing aids are likely to continue being blurred.

BuiltIn.com takes a deep dive into the creation of a vibrating, LED-lit vest from L.A.'s Not Impossible Labs that is changing the live-music experience for the deaf world.

Members of VRChat, an online virtual world, have created a Deaf community within the world where avatars are teaching and learning ASL.

The National Deaf Center at the University of Texas has developed the first ASL-accessible video game.

Huawei and FCB Inferno’s teamed up to create StorySign, a worldwide program to help deaf children learn to read. Here's how they did it.

Deaf gamer Soleil "Ewok" Wheeler, the 15-year-old FaZe Clan phenom, has left Twitch for Microsoft's Mixer.

This researcher may have found a new way for hearing aids to be designed to help people identify what direction sounds are coming from.

The Live Transcribe app is making life easier for plenty of deaf and hard of hearing.

New headphones from Apple allow parents to limit max volume in order to protect against potential noise-induced hearing loss in their music-loving kids.

Pretty soon audiologists could be adjusting hearing aids via apps rather than requiring clients to come into the office.

The next batch of hearing aids can play music, detect falls, and count steps. They can pretty much stream to anything digital.

This hearing aid uses 3D-printed parts and costs less than a buck.

A Virginia audiologist shows off some of the newest hearing aids and their features.

University of Iowa researchers are working with Gallaudet to connect more hearing aids to wireless devices.

New glasses that feature captioning could change the live theatergoing experience for DHH.

L.A.'s beaches now have a system of lights to help warn DHH beachgoers of emergencies.

Take a gander at four startups that are raking in millions in the hopes of disrupting the hearing-aid industry.

A vibrating shirt can help DHH feel the music.

Apps, streaming, and rechargeable batteries are just some of the ways tech is changing the world of hearing devices.

Two nonprofits are producing a speechreading DVD.

Apple TV+ will be optimized for DHH and blind viewers.

One man argues that hearing aids going digital has led to millions hearing a much colder sound.

Forbes has the lowdown on a few new hearing-aid apps.

Android 10 allows for direct Bluetooth streaming to hearing aids.

A new device helps DHH feel the sounds around them.

Can I Play That, a site that reviews video games through the lens of accessibility, has given its first perfect score for a game from a major publisher to Gears 5, particularly because it's designed well for DHH gamers.

Samsung has some new apps for deaf-blind and visually impaired.

A viral TikTok is inspiring some to learn ASL.

Oticon has debuted what it calls the most powerful hearing aid in the world for those with severe-to-profound loss.

One man has been on a path to create a waterproof, indestructible hearing-aid case.

Big changes coming in hearing-aid tech due to federal law changes. In a related story, the Hearing Industries Association is protesting the FDA clearance of a self-fitted hearing aid made by Bose.

New tech is all about translating speech for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Architects at Gallaudet are creating spaces that work well for the deaf community.

Wireless connectivity, language translation, and long-lasting batteries could all be part of the future of hearing aids.

The BBC is testing out a new way of mixing audio to help hard-of-hearing viewers.

The FDA has approved the first cochlear implant for an asymmetrical cochlear implant.

Google is bringing its hearing-assistance app to older Android phones.

An app made created by an Iranian company aims to help the hard of hearing in a variety of ways.

The FDA has approved a new MRI-friendly cochlear implant.

Google's Live Transcribe app should be very helpful for DHH users.

An Arkansas professor is investigating usage of a transparent face masks to help DHH in medical settings