The Audiologist Informer

Engineers and hearing scientists are designing smartphone-based tympanometers cheap enough and small enough to find their way into remote regions, and they have published the code online and purposefully did not patent the technology. Beyond portability, one of the main strengths of the new device is its price — a mere $28 on top of the smartphone. However, more research needs to be conducted on its effectiveness and training for use. This article also speculates on similar future developments for other special equipment like audiometers.

A variety of low intensity sounds relative to background noise (about the level of a whisper) all were found to reduce pain sensitivity in the mice; the intensity of sound, and not the sound category, mattered most in pain relief. If the same applies for humans, the results could help inform development of safer alternatives to opioids for treating pain.