When deaf athletes with cochlear implants take part in sports like rugby, they have to wear headgear that protects the external parts of their implant. A new wearable serves that same purpose, while reportedly allowing users to hear the sounds around them much better.
In a typical cochlear implant, the external components consist of a microphone, a speech processor/power source which enhances voices in the audio picked up by that microphone, and a transmitting coil that rests against the skin.
An implanted receiver picks up signals from the coil, which are converted into electrical impulses. Those impulses are in turn relayed to electrodes that stimulate the auditory nerves in the cochlea, allowing the user to hear the voices.
While most athletic headgear for the deaf does a decent job at protecting the external components, it usually covers the mic with padding. This means that sounds such as whistles, coaches' instructions and other players' callouts are all muffled.
Oral care company Colgate (yes, the one that makes the toothpaste) wanted to address that problem, so it approached Australian sports gear manufacturer Steeden. A prototype wearable known simply as Head Gear is the result.
While the garment still protects the external parts of the implant, those parts sit within a cavity where no padding is present. Additionally, channels in the padding throughout the rest of the gear direct sound waves into that cavity, allowing them to be picked up more clearly.
Head Gear is now being trialled by deaf athletes such as QAFLW (Queensland Australian Football League Women's) player Jamie Howell, with good results so far. Athletes who are interested in taking part in the trial can register their interest via the Head Gear website up until May 28th. There's currently no word on estimated pricing or availability.
More information is provided in the following video.
Source: Head Gear
