Existing hearing aids can help the hearing impaired to listen. However, many of the patients, especially those only with mild to moderate degree of hearing loss, are reluctant to use them due to the potential influence on their appearance and the fear of being seen as a disabled person. Therefore, there is a need to develop an unnoticeable device that can assist their daily life. In this thesis, a hardware and software system, called Silent Whisper, was built to help hearing-impaired retrieve normal social life and interactions. Silent Whisper is a multi-functional wireless microphone receiver in wristband style which aims to help hearing-impaired to stay alert with the surroundings and achieve effective communication between able and disabled people.

Two prototypes with iterative mech...[ Read more ]

Existing hearing aids can help the hearing impaired to listen. However, many of the patients, especially those only with mild to moderate degree of hearing loss, are reluctant to use them due to the potential influence on their appearance and the fear of being seen as a disabled person. Therefore, there is a need to develop an unnoticeable device that can assist their daily life. In this thesis, a hardware and software system, called Silent Whisper, was built to help hearing-impaired retrieve normal social life and interactions. Silent Whisper is a multi-functional wireless microphone receiver in wristband style which aims to help hearing-impaired to stay alert with the surroundings and achieve effective communication between able and disabled people.

Two prototypes with iterative mechanical designs were produced and tested using 3D printing, based on the high-level needs. Several industrial design drafts were considered in terms of manufacturing considerations and user friendliness. An Android app was created to interact with the most recent Silent Whisper prototype, providing functions such as voice volume control, voice recording, and voice to text.