Solar Ear HD-424

Solar Ear

The Solar Ear Hearing Aid HD-424 is a hearing aid that is charged with a solar powered battery charger.

Snapshot
Manufacturing & delivery
Performance & use
Research & standards
Feedback

Product description Brand name and product description

The Solar Ear Hearing Aid HD-424 is a Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing instrument that is suitable for mild to severe hearing loss. The hearing aid uses rechargeable batteries that are charged with a solar powered battery charger.

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Global

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Solar Ear, Auto Alternative Nig LTD, INOVA Centro Auditivo, ONG Instituto de Rehabilitación de Valparaíso, Rejoice Hearing Systems

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

The consumer price is 224USD, the distributor price is 40% less. ^{Interview with representative}

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

ALIMCO Hearing Aids

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Global

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

Hearing Aid HD-424 is manufactured by Solar Ear, formerly Deaftronics, in Botswana and in Brazil and China. The manufacturing sites are independently run, owned, and operated.^{Interview with representative} Young deaf people are hired by Solar Ear and taught how to manufacture and assemble the hearing aids.

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open source

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

Solar Ear has national distributors in Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the U.S.A. that can be contacted to purchase the HD-424 Hearing Aid. Customers residing in countries without a national distributor can fill out an online contact form to request a quote.

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

18,000 HD-424s have been distributed as of August 2017.

50,000 Solar Ear hearing aids, 100,000 solar chargers, and 250,000 rechargeable hearing aid batteries have been sold as of July 2017. ^{Interview with representative}

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Peak OSLP 90 (dB SPL)

The most sound that the hearing aid will make with 90dB input

140 dB SPL

High frequency average (HFA) OSLP 90 (dB SPL)

Average level of just the high frequencies with 90 dB input

133 dB SPL

HFA full-on gain (dB)

Average full-on gain, which is defined as the gain control of the hearing aid set to its full-on position with an input SPL of 50 dB.Display order

70 dB

Total harmonic distortion for 500Hz (%), 800Hz (%) and 1600Hz (%)

How well the aid is able to reproduce sound clearly

1.5%, 1%, 1%

Equivalent input noise (dB)

Noise level output

25 dB

Number of frequency channels

Number of channels available for programming

Battery type

675^{Interview with representative}

Battery current (mA)

Provides information to user on how long it will take for battery to die

1.8 mA

Memory switch (Y/N)

Used to switch between multiple programs in order to optimize hearing aid for different environments

Yes

T-coil feature (Y/N)

An additional setting on some hearing aids

Yes

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

The HD-424 is a rechargeable device suited for profound hearing loss.

Features:

– Super Power BTE

– Optimized DSP hearing aid

– 2 Channels WDRC Multi Memories Amplifier

– 12 Bands Frequency Shaping

– 10 Bands Layered Noise Reduction

– Low-level Expansion

– Adaptive Feedback Cancellation AFC Technology(Advanced)

– Wideband MPO Control

– Low Battery Warning

– Telecoil function

– Up to three programs

The Solar Ear Hearing Aid Battery Charger can be charged via solar energy, household light, or a Nokia cell phone charger. The rechargeable batteries and solar battery charger can also be used with 95% of all Behind-The-Ear hearing aids on the market today. Used with a conventional earmold. ^{Interview with representative}

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

Technical support Technical support provided by

The listening programs must be set by a hearing healthcare professional or the manufacturer. Troubleshooting guidance is available in the user manual. All Solar Ear hearing aids and accessories come with a 2-year warranty.^{Interview with representative}

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

Solar Ear will repair or fix any hearing aids or accessories during or beyond the warranty period for no additional charge. Solar Ear will also provide two rechargeable batteries for free upon request. ^{Interview with representative}

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

The rechargeable battery can withstand at least 500 cycles. The lifetime of the hearing aid is approximately five years.^{Interview with representative}

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

Affordable hearing (below ~70 USD) , rechargeable hearing aid ^{Interview with representative}

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

Results from a clinical trial of a Solar Ear BTE hearing aid with 21 participants found that the hearing aid offers substantial benefit to the hearing impaired with a severe predominantly sensorineural hearing impairment (i.e >60 dB at 2 kHz) and gives amplification in the desired frequency range that is aligned with National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) recommendations.

The HD-424 passed testing at Stanford University. ^{Interview with representative}

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Stanford University, University of Copenhagen, Western Michigan University, Special Olympics International, Department of Audiology, Bispebjerg Hospital ^{Interview with representative}

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

Patients with middle ear infection should not wear the hearing aid until cured unless otherwise instructed.

Disposal Guidance: Return to audiologist where it was purchased. Upon the unit’s return to the manufacturer, they will renovate it and donate it to a school for the deaf. ^{Interview with representative}

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Audiometer exam

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

Parving, A., Christensen, B., Nielsen, J., Konradsson, K., Clinical Trial of a Low-Cost High-Power Compression Hearing Aid, Department of Audiology, Bispebjerg Hospital H: S, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark

Parving, A., Christensen, B., 2004, Clinical Trial of a Low-Cost, Solar-Powered Hearing Aid, Acta Otolaryngol, May, 124(4), pp. 416-20.

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

FDA and CE approved

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Evaluation:

Fitting of the test-HA was based on the NAL-R prescription rule (2) or the POGO-rule (11) depending on the degree of the subject´s HI and all the fittings were validated by insertion gain measurements, using a Siemens Unity-IG equipment. The immediate benefit of the test- HA was measured by the difference in speech recognition scores without and with the test-HA in quiet (SRS) and in background noise (S/N=5 dB)( SRSN). After a 6-8 week trial period the person met for follow-up and completion of a structured interview based on the IOI-HA (3,4). The IOI-HA form includes 7 questions with responses according to a graded scale 1-5, where 5 is the maximum score. At the end of the session the subject should make a preference for the test-HA or the previously fitted HA named HA-AA.

Other information

None

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Snapshot

Product description Brand name and product description

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Global

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Solar Ear, Auto Alternative Nig LTD, INOVA Centro Auditivo, ONG Instituto de Rehabilitación de Valparaíso, Rejoice Hearing Systems

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

The consumer price is 224USD, the distributor price is 40% less. ^{Interview with representative}

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

ALIMCO Hearing Aids

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Global

Manufacturing & delivery

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open source

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

18,000 HD-424s have been distributed as of August 2017.

50,000 Solar Ear hearing aids, 100,000 solar chargers, and 250,000 rechargeable hearing aid batteries have been sold as of July 2017. ^{Interview with representative}

Performance & use