NRI teen invents low-cost hearing aid priced at a mere USD 60

Mukund Venkatakrishnan of Kentucky’s Louisville city worked on the device for two years and presented it at the Jefferson County Public Schools Idea Fest and recently won first place the Kentucky State Science and Engineering Fair. 

The device, which can be used with even the cheapest set of headphones, is built to first test hearing by playing several different sounds at seven different frequencies through headphones. It then programs itself to be a hearing aid, amplifying volume based on the test results. 

“It eliminates the need for a doctor altogether. It is really, in essence, just amplifiers, just increase the volume based on how much hearing loss you have and it is crazy that they cost USD 1,500 each, when you can do it for USD 60,” Mukund, DuPont Manual High School student, said. 

He said the processor responsible for amplifying volume by increasing the volume of an incoming signal, was the most expensive part - about USD 45. Other parts cost about USD 15.

Mukund was inspired to invent the aid during his visit to his grandparents in India two years ago. He was tasked with helping his grandfather get tested and fitted for a hearing aid. He saw that it was a costly and difficult process and resolved to find an alternative.

They spent about USD 400 or USD 500 on doctor’s appointments and about USD 1,900 on the hearing aid itself. He realised that hearing is a luxury many people 

in developing countries cannot afford. 

Talking about his invention, he said that if the ear piece of the aid gets damaged, it is not costly to replace-it only requires buying another set of ear buds. In its current form, the device is about two inches long and looks like a computer processor. Various foundations are reaching out to Mukund to help mass produce and distribute it.