Hearing aids used to carry a sense of stigma for its wearers, but over the years, I suppose that having a hearing aid plugged into your ear is no big deal, and there definitely is nothing to be ashamed of. However, technology has improved by leaps and bounds through the years, that we start to see better developments in this department so much so that the Nanoplug has arrived.
Nevena Zivic has worn hearing aids all her life. A Serbian geography professor, she believed that there must be a way of creating hearing aids that were smaller and more affordable. So she hired industrial designer Jongha Lee to create something now known as the Nanoplug. It’s the size of a tiny eraser, smaller than some coffee beans. Indeed, its makers claim it’s the smallest hearing aid ever invented. Zivic told me: “Social stigma still hinders people from taking advantage of ordinary hearing aids, but with the Nanoplug, we can say goodbye to bulky, embarrassing, and expensive aids.” She speaks of a hearing aid as a lifestyle choice. She’s desperate for those who truly need one to never have to be hindered by the idea that someone will see it. With this design, it is so small that, Zivic says, it doesn’t offer a visual eyesore. Once it’s inside the ear, it’s not visible.
