Throughout his last yr of learning robotics, electronics, and communication engineering, Kanishka Patel stumbled upon a information article that might form his future. The piece detailed a groundbreaking improvement by the British defence and safety agency BAE Methods — a military helmet utilizing bone conduction know-how to facilitate communication amongst troopers on the battlefield.
Intrigued, Kanishka delved into analysis on bone conduction know-how and its potential functions. If it may improve communication amidst the cacophony of warfare, he contemplated, what different transformative makes use of may it serve?
Would possibly it supply hope to these coping with listening to loss, or people with situations like microtia, whose exterior ears are underdeveloped? Might this know-how current a non-surgical, cost-effective resolution for tens of millions worldwide?
Kanishka’s thoughts buzzed with prospects, igniting a ardour to discover the untapped potential of this innovation.
In a powerful affirmation of their journey, Kanishka and Raj Shah have certainly cast a exceptional path over seven years. By their firm WeHear, the 2 have constructed HearNU — a listening to assist that makes use of bone conduction know-how, providing a non-surgical resolution for individuals with conductive listening to loss. They’ve additionally developed bone conduction earphones known as WeHear OX — the place the earphone doesn’t sit inside your ears.
WeHear has a granted patent for its HearNU and is remodeling the lives of 1000’s of younger youngsters and adults with conductive listening to loss, through which sound waves usually are not capable of carry right through to the interior ear.
Kanishka and Raj declare that it’s “the one bone-conduction listening to assist in India and the world”. Since their launch in 2021, they’ve offered over 11,500 gadgets and have earned a income of Rs 5.5 crore in FY 2023-24.
In addition they bagged a deal of Rs 2.5 crore in Shark Tank India Season 3 from Peyush Bansal, valuing their firm at Rs 250 crore.
So what precisely is bone conduction know-how and what makes their patented product distinctive?
Made in India for the world
Kanishka remembers being fascinated by audio and electronics. He participated in lots of robotics competitions the world over, and sometimes got here throughout sensible improvements, hoping to make one himself in the future.
“I had about 18 to 19 pairs of earphones as I like listening to music. Once I learn concerning the bone conduction know-how used within the US Military, I puzzled concerning the different use instances for it. I began researching and developed a prototype of a listening to assist utilizing this know-how in 2017,” Kanishka tells The Higher India.
The Ahmedabad resident then spoke about this concept together with his co-founder Raj, who give up his job and joined him to construct the gadget. They had been incubated on the Gujarat College Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC), the place they obtained funding and help to start out their analysis and improvement.
After just a few tweaks, after they had been happy with the prototype, they partnered with the Bahera Munga Shala in Ahmedabad, a college for hearing-impaired youngsters to check their gadget. The second that the duo dearly cherish, is the primary time a baby heard a sound in his life, because of their gadget!
“We performed some music, and the kid heard a sound for the primary time in his life. I can’t overlook the way in which his face lit up. He began having fun with the music, and his mom was in tears. That second is etched in my reminiscence ceaselessly,” shares the 28-year-old.
With their resolve strengthened, the duo then labored on perfecting their gadget. This journey was removed from easy because it took them round two and a half years and 7 prototypes earlier than they got here up with their last gadget — the HearNU.
After they felt that their gadget was prepared for the market they did alpha and beta testing for one and a half years earlier than launching the ultimate model in 2021.
How the gadget works
This gadget is supposed for individuals who have conductive listening to loss, have microtia (a congenital ear deformity through which the exterior ear is malformed and underdeveloped), or have some other drawback within the bodily ear.
The HearNU comes with a wearable band, which is related to the listening to assist by Bluetooth, and makes use of bone conduction know-how. The listening to assist, which is formed like a band, sits behind the ear on the temporal bone.
“This gadget makes use of the bone as a conductor of sound. The gadget, positioned on the temporal bone, sends vibrations to the cochlea. It bypasses the bodily ear system, particularly the outer ear, interior ear and center ear, straight simulating the final a part of the ear, which is related to the mind,” explains Kanishk.
The band, which the person wears on the hand, is provided with microprocessors. “It captures the audio and sounds, tunes them, processes them and sends them to the listening to gadget, enabling the person to listen to. The Bluetooth will also be related to some other gadget like a cell phone, TV, or laptop computer, serving to youngsters take heed to lessons,” he provides.
The answer for individuals with conductive listening to loss is often a surgical implant known as the BAHA implant (Bone-Anchored Listening to Support), which makes use of the identical know-how used on this listening to assist. The corresponding surgical procedure typically prices Rs 8 lakh, in line with the founders, whereas this gadget prices Rs 80,000.
“Our differentiator and patent is for the truth that we now have been ready to make use of this know-how, which is used within the surgical procedure and navy gadgets, for a non-surgical listening to assist,” he provides.
They partnered with the All India Institute Of Speech and Listening to in Mysuru for medical trials and in addition obtained grants from the Union Authorities and State Authorities price Rs 25 lakh to fund their analysis.
Right this moment, by this enterprise, the duo have offered the reward of listening to to over 11,500 youngsters and adults throughout the nation — the vast majority of that are by partnerships with firms and CSR actions. In addition they accomplice with State Governments to distribute listening to aids as a part of the Authorities’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
As well as, HearNU is at the moment being exported to nations in Africa, with plans for world growth supported by a granted patent protecting 27 nations.
After the success of HearNU, in addition they launched a bone conduction earphone known as WeHear OX, which they declare is “secure for our ears” because it bypasses the bodily ears and comes outfitted with a 72-language translator. These earphones are priced at Rs 10,000.
They’re engaged on HearNU BTE — a listening to assist for individuals with different types of listening to loss — and have three extra merchandise within the pipeline.
“We wish to create an ecosystem in listening to aids which can be utterly made out of scratch in India, for the world. Our options shall be inexpensive for all, making certain that everybody with listening to loss can discover a non-surgical different,” says Kanishka.
With the WHO estimating that one in 10 individuals may have disabling listening to loss by 2050, such options are undoubtedly welcome.
Edited by Pranita Bhat, Photos Courtesy WeHear
Sources
WHO Report
