Did you know that the earliest hearing aid devices were developed as early as the 13th century¹? It’s true! Hundreds of years ago, those with hearing loss would use hollowed out horns of animals – cows and rams, primarily – to collect and funnel sound into their ear canals.

In the 18th century, the ear trumpet – it looks exactly the way you imagine – was invented and commercialised. Luckily, we have come a long way since using sheet metal, trumpet-shaped devices to enhance our hearing.

Today, hearing aids are small and unobtrusive, yet they contain some of the most sophisticated technology. This technology helps empower people to live life to the very fullest, which is our fundamental mission here at Oticon.

If you wear them, you might begin to wonder how modern, digital hearing aids are able to not only enhance sound, but also improve life. In short: How do they work?

A look inside the hearing aid

All hearing aids have five basic components: microphones, an amplifier, a loudspeaker, a battery and a computer chip.

The microphones pick up the sounds around you. These sounds are analysed by the computer chip, which processes sounds and sends them to the amplifier.

The amplifier increases the volume and sends these sounds to the loudspeaker, which in turns transmits sounds into the inner ear. This happens via tubing in an ear mould in the ear canal or through a thin wire to a speaker in the ear.

When the sounds eventually reach your inner ear, your ear converts the sound waves into electrical impulses. Those impulses are sent to the brain, which processes them. That’s how hearing aids help the brain make meaning of sound.