Upcoming: Dr. Ruffin to speak at Exponential Medicine hosted by Singularity University

Dr. Chad Ruffin has been invited to the Exponential Medicine Conference hosted by Singularity University to share how his experience with hearing loss drives the efforts of RuffLab to improve outcomes for the d/Deaf. The conference will be held in San Diego, California during the week of November 6-9, 2017.

Singularity University was founded by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis. Ray Kurzweil developed the flatbed scanner, the first text-to-speech device for the blind, and omni-font recognition technology. He is a futurist known for his uncanny predictions of technological innovations and the coming singularity when the power of computing technology exceeds the human brain. Dr. Peter Diamandis is a physician, engineer, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author. He is best known for founding the XPrize to encourage the privatization of space transport.

Exponential Medicine is a unique and intensive four-day experience that gathers world-class faculty, innovators, and organizations from across the biomedical and technology spectrum to explore and leverage the convergence of fast moving technologies in the reinvention and future of health and medicine.

What Do Cochlear Implants And Hearing Aids Sound Like? - Science Friday

Simulation of what cochlear implants sound like. However, these simulations do not account for many other things that shape the sound of a cochlear implant.

Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, study says - BBC News

Hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor to preventing dementia. 

Science introduction for the layperson on how cochlear implants work

Our ears are sensitive to incredibly tiny movements. The ear drum vibrates in response to sound over a fraction of the diameter of a hydrogen atom. These vibrations are carried down to the inner ear via the middle ear bones. When the fluid is unable to move the damaged hairs of the inner ear, a cochlear implant may be used to bypass these structures to directly electrically stimulate the hearing nerve to recreate sound. Colleague Dr. Mario Svirsky explains in Physics Today.

Better integration of hearing devices with the iPhone

Wired magazine reports on better integration between devices and hearing instruments. Just as importantly, it gets the personal impact of hearing loss: "Before he had CI surgery, Bahnmueller’s hearing difficulties were getting in the way of his job—he was unable to follow presentations at board meetings, for instance. They cut him off from his loved ones, too. He would ask his 10-year-old daughter to repeat what she’d said, and when she’d answer, 'Never mind, it wasn’t important,' he’d be devastated."