FM hearing aid developed

The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, based in Mysore, is on the verge of completing a Rs 2.25 lakh project. The project will soon see the roll-out of an indigenous FM hearing aid the fourth product of its kind by the institute.

The project, sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, involves research and development by the institute's electronics division for about a year.

The end-product, a hearing aid based on FM radio waves, is of the size of a regular cigarette pack and costs anywhere between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,000.

The field trial of the product is on at the institute. FM technology has ensured a hearing aid with superior transmission and audio reception which is amplified and is distortion-free, said institute director Dr M Jayaram.

The product is likely to enter the market in about three months.