Throughout his ultimate 12 months of finding out 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 Techniques — 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 purposes. If it may improve communication amidst the cacophony of warfare, he contemplated, what different transformative makes use of may it serve?
Would possibly it provide 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 hundreds of thousands worldwide?
Kanishka’s thoughts buzzed with potentialities, igniting a ardour to discover the untapped potential of this innovation.
In a powerful affirmation of their journey, Kanishka and Raj Shah have certainly solid a exceptional path over seven years. By way of their firm WeHear, the 2 have constructed HearNU — a listening to help 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 referred to 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 hundreds of younger youngsters and adults with conductive listening to loss, wherein sound waves are usually not in a position to carry right through to the interior ear.
Kanishka and Raj declare that it’s “the one bone-conduction listening to help in India and the world”. Since their launch in 2021, they’ve offered over 11,500 units and have earned a income of Rs 5.5 crore in FY 2023-24.
Additionally 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 recollects 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 at some point.
“I had about 18 to 19 pairs of earphones as I like listening to music. Once I learn in regards to the bone conduction know-how used within the US Military, I puzzled in regards to the different use circumstances for it. I began researching and developed a prototype of a listening to help 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 stop his job and joined him to construct the system. They have 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, once they have been happy with the prototype, they partnered with the Bahera Munga Shala in Ahmedabad, a faculty for hearing-impaired youngsters to check their system. The second that the duo dearly cherish, is the primary time a toddler heard a sound in his life, because of their system!
“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 endlessly,” shares the 28-year-old.
With their resolve strengthened, the duo then labored on perfecting their system. 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 ultimate system — the HearNU.
After they felt that their system 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 system works
This system is supposed for individuals who have conductive listening to loss, have microtia (a congenital ear deformity wherein the exterior ear is malformed and underdeveloped), or have every other downside within the bodily ear.
The HearNU comes with a wearable band, which is linked to the listening to help via Bluetooth, and makes use of bone conduction know-how. The listening to help, which is formed like a band, sits behind the ear on the temporal bone.
“This system makes use of the bone as a conductor of sound. The system, positioned on the temporal bone, sends vibrations to the cochlea. It bypasses the bodily ear system, specifically the outer ear, interior ear and center ear, straight simulating the final a part of the ear, which is linked to the mind,” explains Kanishk.
The band, which the consumer 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 system, enabling the consumer to listen to. The Bluetooth may also be linked to every other system like a cell phone, TV, or laptop computer, serving to youngsters take heed to courses,” he provides.
The answer for individuals with conductive listening to loss is normally a surgical implant referred to as the BAHA implant (Bone-Anchored Listening to Help), which makes use of the identical know-how used on this listening to help. The corresponding surgical procedure usually prices Rs 8 lakh, based on the founders, whereas this system prices Rs 80,000.
“Our differentiator and patent is for the truth that we now have been in a position to make use of this know-how, which is used within the surgical procedure and army units, for a non-surgical listening to help,” he provides.
They partnered with the All India Institute Of Speech and Listening to in Mysuru for medical trials and likewise obtained grants from the Union Authorities and State Authorities price Rs 25 lakh to fund their analysis.
Right now, via this enterprise, the duo have supplied the reward of listening to to over 11,500 youngsters and adults throughout the nation — nearly all of that are via partnerships with companies and CSR actions. Additionally they associate with State Governments to distribute listening to aids as a part of the Authorities’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
As well as, HearNU is at present being exported to nations in Africa, with plans for international enlargement supported by a granted patent masking 27 nations.
After the success of HearNU, additionally they launched a bone conduction earphone referred to as WeHear OX, which they declare is “protected 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 help for individuals with different types of listening to loss — and have three extra merchandise within the pipeline.
“We need to create an ecosystem in listening to aids which are fully constituted of scratch in India, for the world. Our options will likely be inexpensive for all, guaranteeing that everybody with listening to loss can discover a non-surgical various,” says Kanishka.
With the WHO estimating that one in 10 individuals may have disabling listening to loss by 2050, such options are positively welcome.
Edited by Pranita Bhat, Photographs Courtesy WeHear