Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation MIT School of Engineering

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Hart Diagram

DIGITAL EAR CANAL SCANNER
Innovation Grant

Douglas P. Hart
Hatsopoulos Microfluids Laboratory
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Hearing loss affects hundreds of millions of people world-wide. The performance of hearing aids is directly related to how closely they fit the ear canal of the user. Custom fittings are currently done using a labor intensive and inaccurate casting method. This project will develop a 3D digital scanner capable of measuring ear canal shape and tissue compliance. This method will eliminate the uncertainties associated with manual fit, greatly improving the performance of hearing aids.