These Hearing Aids Are Designed to Look Like Stylish Jewelry

University of Pforzheim student Julian Fischer has designed stylish hearing aids to address an underserved consumer population in Germany, reports Fast Company . The end product is Incluse, developed by Fischer with input from hearing aid companies and technicians from German firms like Siemens. Fast Company awarded Incluse a 2019 World Changing Ideas Award in the Students category. The device consists of a small cylinder, plated copper, gold, or silver that hangs from the earlobe like a clip-on earring. An invisible plastic tube extends into the ear to transmit sounds to the wearer, and Fischer wants the hearing aid to connect to devices such as smartphones and voice assistants. Fischer collaborated with the jewelry design program at Pforzheim to design the body of Incluse. "Minimal design was the goal," he notes. "It's very hard to create a piece of jewelry that everyone likes, so I went for a sleek and timeless design that could accommodate the technology." Fischer is now in discussions with development departments at different hearing aid companies to supply Incluse's technological element.