Call for millions of Australians to take control of their hearing – and transform their lives
One in six Australians couldn’t experience the full impact of the popping corks and fireworks to see in the New Year.
IHearYou
Over the last few years, Australia Hears (now Blamey & Saunders Hearing Pty Ltd) have been quietly selling and refining hearing aids.
Now hundreds are now in use around Australia. We’re helping them spread the word.
You can view the fact sheets here
You can view images from the launch here
For any enquiries email Niall Byrne at niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
Empowering a generation to take control of their hearing
The Australian hearing aid company Blamey & Saunders Hearing’s new clinic and offices will be opened this evening at 6 pm at historic 364 Albert Street, East Melbourne, by Michelle Gallaher, CEO of the BioMelbourne Network.
The new hearing aid has evolved from sound technologies developed for Graeme Clark’s bionic ear. It empowers users to take control of their own hearing. They can buy online and fine tune the hearing aid themselves or with the help of an audiologist. The choice is theirs and the price—starting at under $1,000—is a fraction of the cost of equivalent hearing aids.
For World Listening Day we’re inviting people to slow down and listen to the sound of food.
The sizzle of frying pan, the rattle of the saucepan, the splash of wine poured into a glass, the muted tones of serious discussion over a menu, the animated conversation and laughter of al fresco diners, the bustle of the market stall, and the yell of order or sale. Food is much more than taste, smell and sight. Sound is an integral part of the experience, whether it be a family gathered around the kitchen table, an elderly person shopping at the market, or a well-dressed young couple eating in a high class restaurant. As hearing deteriorates, the gastronomic experience loses some of its fizz. Read the full article →
The next generation of hearing aids could be made in Melbourne thanks to a Victorian government grant that will fast-track the prototyping of Australian-designed hearing aids.
The $50,000 small technology grant will fund Australia Hears to use RMIT’s rapid prototyping facilities to test new hearing aid designs. Read the full article →
Invented in Melbourne with bionic ear technology
Melbourne researchers have invented a small, smart, self-managed hearing aid that outperforms most conventional hearing aids for less than half the price.
It uses technology first developed for Australia’s bionic ear, and is so simple to set up that most users can buy one over the internet and fit it themselves. That brings the cost down to between $1,000 and $1500, or less than $3000 for a pair. Read the full article →
The Australia Hears media kit is now available - more info from niall@scienceinpublic.com.au, 0417 131 977.
These fact sheets are included in the media kit. You can download them separately here.
Fact sheet 1: Rediscover a world of sound – Australian researchers have invented a small, smart, self-managed hearing aid that outperforms most conventional devices for less then half the price.
Fact sheet 2: High-tech hearing at low cost – the science and technology behind Australia Hears.
Fact sheet 3: Ears wide open – the long road – bringing Australian hearing science to the community and the market.
Fact sheet 4: Independent audiologist Steve Grayson-Riley discusses the Australia Hears hearing aids
Fact sheet 5: Returning to the whole world of sound – Tim Thwaites, a science writer and broadcaster with Science in Public talks about his introduction to Australia Hears. He trialled and now uses an Australia Hears hearing aid that he purchased at his own expense online.
Below are a range of images taken at the Australia Hears launch on Wednesday 27 April, 2011.
Read the full article →
