LOCALLY MANUFACTURED HEARING AIDS HEADED TO THE ISS

A South African company has created a boothless audiometer called the KUDUwave and, if the weather permits, the KUDUwave will be heading to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.

According to eMoyo, the Johannesburg based company responsible for the KUDUwave, the beauty behind the invention is that it combines the headset, audiometer and soundbooth in a single lightweight device, offering the freedom of boothless audiometry anywhere.

Space is noisy, and preventing hearing loss among astronauts has been one of the key medical priorities for Nasa for decades. The KUDUwave was built to be small, robust and easy to use. It was also designed to offer tympanometry, which measures the functioning of the middle-ear, without the need for an audio booth, reports Business Insider.

The company was informed earlier this week that the KUDUwave has been manifested as cargo, and that it has been packed on board the Nasa rocket scheduled to launch on Saturday.

Not only will the KUDUwave change the lives of the astronauts on board the ISS, but it has also changed the lives of many South Africans. During to the COVID-19 pandemic, the boothless audiometer has been working exceptionally well as social distancing has been adhered to, and it has limited travelling for those in need of hearing tests.

Image credit: eMoyo