Blog
Understanding the ear and how it works
Having a confirmed diagnosis of hearing loss can be difficult and accompanied by feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. Getting appropriate information about the ear and hearing loss are important steps towards acceptance and potential treatments. It is also important to consult with a healthcare provider to obtain as much information regarding a diagnosis in order to clear misconceptions and support optimal outcomes.Read more 06/29/2021
Addressing the COVID-19 in the room
It is imperative that hearing care professionals find ways to ensure accessibility of information as well as ensure services with limited face-to-face examinations and consultations. hearX Group has been a leading developer of accessible hearing solutions to overcome such barriers.Read more 06/04/2021
Boost your business with efficient boothless occupational audiometry
Employees that are exposed to noisy environments are required to have a hearing test done at least once a year. In many labour intensive environments it is pivotal that these tests are accurate, yet do not take up too much time. The hearTest Occupational Health solution allows for fast, reliable, cost-effective, convenient and compliant workplace hearing tests.Read more 04/22/2021
FUTUREPROOF YOUR Clinic & centre DURING COVID-19 AND BEYOND
Unlock the power of remote hearing care with the hearX Self Test Kit and hearDigits solutions.Read more 03/26/2021
Free webinar on ‘Hearing Care for All in the Digital Age’ by Prof De Wet Swanepoel
Did you know World Hearing Day is around the corner? hearX® Group and Lexie® Hearing are hosting a free webinar for the public on March 3rd at 10 am EST (5 pm SAST) in celebration of World Hearing Day.Read more 03/01/2021
BOSE VENTURES LEADS $8.3M FUNDING ROUND INTO HEARX GROUP
We are very excited to share the news that Bose Ventures, who invests in, and collaborates with, start-ups focused on technologies to help people live and feel better; recognized the value that hearX’s suite of smart hearing technologies bring to the world by investing in hearX®, at the end of 2019.Read more 02/22/2021
Cholesteatoma: Not just bad skin behind the eardrum.
Why does a cholesteatoma cause so much trouble…it’s only a ball of skin! This is a really good question…and YES it does cause significant problems if left untreated. The ultimate problem is that the lining of the middle ear space behind the eardrum should not contain skin.Read more 02/19/2021
mHealth Studio - What you need to know and how you can benefit
A recent study found that physicians that make use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can see an enhancement of 78% in patient care1. mHealth Studio Cloud enables physicians to view patient records remotely on any mobile device or desktop.Read more 01/28/2021
HEARX® BECOMES THE FIRST TO RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT FUND.
On the International Day of People with Disabilities, 03 December 2020, the new Assistive Technology Impact Fund (ATIF) was launched out of the UK Aid-funded AT2030 programme, led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub).Read more 01/26/2021
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY-BASED HEARING HEALTH SERVICES
The functional, emotional, social and economic impact of unaddressed hearing loss is multifold and extensive. The dearth of hearing health providers and high ticket on audiological equipment call for innovation, not only in terms of technology but equally so in our service delivery approaches.Read more 11/23/2020
INTRODUCING THE HEARX PRODUCT TRAINING PLATFORM - OUR NEW INTERACTIVE PLATFORM TO ACCESS ALL PRODUCT TRAINING MATERIALS.
The hearX team is excited to inform our customers that from 20 November 2020 they will have access to a new interactive product training platform.Read more 11/22/2020
FRENCH & SPANISH TRANSLATION OF MHEALTH, HEARSCREEN® AND HEARTEST™ - NOW AVAILABLE
On 20 November, hearX® Group launched French, Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Latin-America) translations for the mHealth mobile app and cloud-based data management portal- specifically for hearScreen and hearTest.Read more 11/19/2020
DISCOVERY VITALITY PARTNERS WITH HEARX GROUP TO INCLUDE HEARING, VISUAL SCREENING TECHNOLOGY AS PART OF THEIR NEW VITALITY 65+ OFFERING
hearX Group has partnered with Discovery Vitality to offer hearing and vision screening checks as part of the recently launched Vitality 65+ offering.
Read more 09/14/2020
why better hearing can improve one's wellbeing
As a result, we often watch our loved one become isolated, which may eventually lead to depression and cognitive decline. In order to prevent these negative effects, it is important to identify hearing loss as early as possible.Read more 08/20/2020
HEARX MHEALTH UPDATE RELEASE NOTES: mHealth v6, Customized testing flows and more!
We gather and incorporate your feedback to constantly improve every aspect of our products to ensure the best user experience is offered to you. We believe that continual improvements aren’t nice to have’s and constantly gather and incorporate your feedback to make every aspect of our products better. Ensuring only the best user experience is offered to you.Read more 08/20/2020
Portable audiometric screening platforms used in low-resource settings: a review
It is estimated that hearing loss affects one in five people in the world. One of the realities of people struggling with hearing loss is that those living in low and middle income countries don’t have access to hearing healthcare. Within the developing world the equipment is expensive and resources, such as trained audiologists and otolaryngologists are scarce, making it nearly impossible to provide affordable care to those that are in need of it.Read more 08/17/2020
Your favourite application is now available on Mac, Windows and Linux desktop | hearScope™ desktop app is releasing this August
hearX Group (hearX) is excited to announce the release of its first ever client-facing desktop application in August 2020. The hearScope™ desktop application will be available for free, downloadable from the hearScope™ website, and is compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows devices. As the hearScope™ mobile app is currently only Android-compatible, the desktop app serves as a solution for iOS users and allows them to use a USB/USB-C hearScope™ on their MacBook devices.Read more 06/21/2020
COVID-19 HEARING CARE SOLUTION | AT-HOME OR REMOTE ACCESS TO TESTING FOR TELEHEALTH WITH HEARX SELF TEST KIT
hearX Group has stepped forward to face the current challenges brought about by COVID-19 in the audiology industry, by releasing hearX Self Test Kit, a breakthrough remote hearing care solution.Read more 04/12/2020
WORLD’S FIRST OTOSCOPE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IMAGE CLASSIFICATION OF EAR DISEASES
hearScope is an FDA registered digital otoscope that works with a smartphone and includes a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI) image classification feature to enable health providers to accurately diagnose ear diseases.Read more 03/18/2020
It’s finally here… hearScope™ AI will be available from 9 March
hearX Group is excited to announce the release of the world's first otoscope with artificial intelligent (AI) image classification of ear diseases.Read more 02/28/2020
hearScope™ and Android 10 supported devices
With the latest Android 10 release, it has come to our attention that users are experiencing compatibility issues with the hearScope™ app. The reason for this is that with the upgrade to Android 10, smartphones are not supporting UVC devices (external devices required to access the USB of the device) to connect to apps with targetSdkVersion API Levels of 28 and above. This specific Google API level is a requirement for all current apps on the Google Play store. Therefore changing the app available on Google Play Store to support a different API level would not be a solution to the problem.Read more 01/30/2020
sealCheck™ - your solution to test the seal of various hearing protection devices, no matter what filter they use
Earplugs are only a solution to prevent noise-induced hearing loss if it forms an exact seal inside the ear canal. The tight seal ensures loud noises only reach the ear through the protective filter inside the earplug.Read more 01/20/2020
hearTest™ Occupational Health audiometry similar to a single-wall soundproof booth
hearTest™ is a world-first smartphone audiometer with international CE and FDA certification, developed by the hearX Group, an ISO medical device certified company. A recent study by Prof De Wet Swanepoel, hearX Group founder, evaluated the sound attenuation of the latest hearTest™ update. The hearTest™ Occupational Health solution, using RadioEar insert earphones covered by 3M Peltor earmuffs, was released at the end of 2019.Read more 01/13/2020
Christmas is here! - Free hearScope™ software update
Ever since its launch in 2017, the hearScope™ video otoscope has been at the forefront of ground-breaking technology, changing the way in which ear examinations are performed.Read more 12/06/2019
USE HEARDIGITS™ TO FUTUREPROOF YOUR PRACTICE
It’s undeniable that there has been a lot of uncertainty within the audiology space lately, with the pending OTC regulations in the USA having ripple effects on practices elsewhere in the world. The dynamics are changing in the South African audiology space, and there is no better time to be proactive than right now.Read more 11/04/2019
Now you can utilise the hearTest™ Occupational Health, smartphone audiometry solution
hearX Group is at the forefront in providing affordable hearing healthcare solutions to everyone, everywhere. We’re very proud to announce our launch of hearTest™ Occupational Health, a smartphone audiometry solution. The hearTest™ Occupational Health audiometer is an extension of the existing hearTest™ smartphone audiometer, to make occupational health compliance easy, time-efficient and affordable, whilst revolutionising hearing screening within the occupational health, hearing conservation and industrial audiology space.Read more 10/11/2019
hearScreen®: smartphone hearing screening solution for schools
Undetected hearing loss in children is one of the major barriers to educational success. Although statistics show that 1/10 children may suffer from significant hearing loss, early identification and intervention provide the best opportunity for effective remediation to reduce the negative effects that hearing loss may have in a child's development.Read more 10/08/2019
hearX tech featured in 3 new World Health Organization Bulletin articles
A 2-minute smartphone test can identify hearing and vision problems before children even start school according to new research article, “Smartphone technology helps young children with hearing and vision problems”, published in the prestigious Bulletin of the World Health OrganizationRead more 10/07/2019
Expanding global market for world-first smartphone audiometry and video-otoscopy
We are pleased to announce that we are expanding our global footprint into Australia. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved our smartphone audiometry (hearTest™) and video otoscope (hearScope™) products. The TGA regulates healthcare products that are made available in Australia in order to enforce local standards. The regulations are in place to protect the Australian public from any potential risks that they may face through the use of therapeutic goods. TGA registration is based off of the CE certification, which we received recently.Read more 09/19/2019
THE HEARX GROUP RECEIVES HIPAA SEAL OF COMPLIANCE WITH COMPLIANCY GROUP
The hearX Group has demonstrated compliance with federal HIPAA, the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act of 1996, a federal law best known for protecting the privacy of patients. The hearX Group achieved this by completing Compliancy Group's proprietary HIPAA compliance methodology.Read more 08/15/2019
THE HEARX GROUP OFFICIALLY RECEIVES CE MARKING
The hearX Group is pleased to announce that we’ve officially received our CE (Conformité Européenne) certification for hearTest™. This most recent certification joins the mantle next to our other certifications and registrations including FDA (Food and Drug Administration), ISO 13485 (International Standards Organisation), and SAHPRA (South African Health Products Regulatory Authority), for this product. The CE mark is a legal requirement to place a device on the market in the European Union (EU).Read more 08/06/2019
SHARED HEARKIOSK | MINIMUM INVESTMENT FOR MAXIMUM REFERRALS TO PRACTICES
Shared hearKiosk* is used by hearing healthcare providers to generate offsite referrals to their practices. Shared hearKiosk offers an affordable solution for referral generation, as no hardware costs are incurred. *Available in South Africa only.Read more 08/06/2019
Action Against Poverty - Mandela Day 2019
On Thursday,18 July, the hearX Group team celebrated Mandela Day at Laerskool Generaal Beyers Primary School in Danville, Pretoria. As part of our 67 minutes of making a social impact, we had the privilege to screen the hearing of 183 Grade 1 learners using our hearScreen solution. We were able to identify six children with potential hearing loss, and were happy to provide them with the opportunity to get professional help from local audiologists.Read more 08/05/2019
HEARDIGITS 2.0 | NEW CUSTOMISATION AND TELEAUDIOLOGY FEATURES
Ever since its launch in 2017, hearDigits has been a fundamental digital tool for hearing healthcare providers to increase their referral rates. This month, the hearX Group is launching hearDigits 2.0 with improved customisation features, maximising our clients’ online opportunities to get more feet to their practice.Read more 06/13/2019
hearScope ASME ISHOW Top 8 Finalist
From 8 - 9 May, two of our team members represented the hearX Group at this year’s ASME ISHOW KENYA. Our hearScope solution was selected as one of eight finalists from more than 160 applications. ISHOW is a competition for hardware led social innovation that is hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) on an annual basis in three locations across the globe. This year, the finalists had the opportunity to visit Gearbox, an initiative that aims at improving the ecosystem for hardware entrepreneurship in Kenya, and were inspired by expert insights from thought leaders in the field.Read more 05/16/2019
sealCheck: In-ear verification of earplugs
The effective use of an earplug is largely dependent on how it is fitted into the ear canal. Improper fit of earplugs may cause an acoustic leak that is not readily visible and can significantly reduce hearing protection levels of individuals.Read more 04/04/2019
World Hearing Day with Tembisa
On Friday, 01 March, the hearX Group team had the privilege to visit the Motsu Park Community Hall in Tembisa for World Hearing Day, as part of an initiative by the World Health Organization. The purpose of this day is to draw attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss.Read more 03/08/2019
World Hearing Day 2019: ‘Check Your Hearing’ for free with the hearZA app
Sunday, 3 March marks World Hearing Day 2019 in partnership with the World Health Organisation. 'Check Your Hearing' is this year’s theme with the purpose of drawing attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss.Read more 02/01/2019
hearScreen USA revolutionizes access to hearing healthcare in the U.S.
hearScreen USA, the U.S. National Hearing Screening app, is revolutionizing the way in which people are thinking about their hearing health. The app leverages the extensive usage of smartphone technology (estimated by Statista to be over 230 million users in 2018), enabling app users to self-detect hearing loss, connect with audiologists nearby, and also set up in-app appointments.Read more 01/17/2019
NationsHearing Unveils New Consumer Hearing Healthcare Technology in the U.S. at CES® 2019
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla—(January 8, 2019) NationsHearing, LLC., a leader in the hearing healthcare industry, announced today it is debuting new hearing technology at CES—the world’s largest and most influential technology event where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.Read more 01/09/2019
EMPOWER THE HEARX GROUP TO DRIVE GREATER SOCIAL IMPACT IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Google Impact Challenge South Africa supports non-profits and social enterprises with game-changing ideas to create economic opportunity in their communitiesRead more 11/13/2018
NEW HEARING PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY WINS WORLD ITU AWARD
The revolutionary new dbTrack product by the hearX Group was awarded with the ITU Telecom World SMME Award at the ITU Telecom World 2018 event. This prestigious recognition was presented by ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and industry leaders from across the globe.Read more 10/18/2018
hearScreen USA – Launched as U.S. National Hearing Screening App
Welcome to the future of hearing healthcare and your 1st step to better hearing. hearX Group in collaboration with the American Academy of Audiology have successfully launched the first-ever intensive hearing screening smartphone app in the United States, on October 10, 2018 at the National Press Club in Washington DC.Read more 10/17/2018
hearScope - Diagnostic Smartphone Otoscope shipped to first supporters
330 million people suffer from ear disease every year - most are children and unable to access accurate ear disease diagnosis for treatment. hearScope, a revolutionary mobile otoscope, significantly improves and alters access to preventative ear care.Read more 10/16/2018
Launch of First U.S. Mobile Comprehensive Hearing Screening App October 10, 2018
At the American Academy of Audiology’s Annual Conference 2018 in April, the Academy announced it’s collaboration with the hearX Group on the launch of hearScreen USA™—the first mobile comprehensive hearing screening application in the U.S. By using the free app (available on iOS and Android), the public will be able to test their hearing and unlike any other app, it will also link to the closest audiologist, if a hearing problem is detected using geolocation.Read more 09/19/2018
hearScope: MIT Solve Finalist
Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the world's most pressing problems.Read more 09/14/2018
sealCheck: Smartphone acoustic seal test
According to the World Health Organisation, noise exposure is the single biggest cause of preventable hearing loss (Sminkey, 2015). Did you know that an improper fit of earplugs may cause an acoustic leak that is not readily visible and can significantly reduce protection levels? Earplugs are a solution only if it forms a seal that ensures that the loud noises only reach the ear through the filter inside the earplug that serves to protect against harmful noise.Read more 08/15/2018
Nelson Mandela Day screening children for hearing problems
On Wednesday the 18th of June, the hearX Group team had the privilege to visit Laerskool Generaal Beyers for Nelson Mandela Day. We celebrated this very special day by screening the hearing of over 100 school children using our hearScreen technology.Read more 08/15/2018
App-based hearing screenings for 10’000 children in need
The project #HearSouthAfrica uses modern cost-efficient technology to screen children in need for hearing loss in low-income regions.Read more 07/16/2018
Milestone ISO 13485 Certification for hearX group
After two years of hard work in making sure our hearing health technology complies with international standards, hearX Group is proud to announce that we are now ISO 13485 certified.Read more 06/22/2018
hearKiosk: the all in one, easy-to-use, self-test kiosk to screen for hearing loss and a must have for any healthcare provider
This hearing screening self-test provides an individual concerned with his/her hearing easy onscreen instructions, practice, screening and accurately identifies hearing loss within under 3 minutes. This hearing screening kiosk is designed to ensure an engaging consumer self-test experience with its simple, user-friendly design for self-screening.Read more 06/18/2018
PRODUCT REVEAL: WORLD FIRST IN-EAR SOUND TRACKING APP – dbTrack
A lifetime of music. That’s what we want everyone to enjoy.Read more 05/08/2018
hearX Group releases 2017/18 Annual Impact Report
The hearX Group was established in 2015 with our core passion and vision being ‘healthy hearing for everyone, everywhere’.Read more 05/07/2018
hearDigits - hearX Groups hearing health self screening test
Hearing loss is the silent epidemic, an invisible, and therefore often underestimated, disabling condition impacting both children and adults negatively.Read more 05/06/2018
hearTest - Innovative smartphone audiometer, a new era for audiometry
Audiometry is the science of evaluating a person’s hearing status by measuring the person’s hearing range and hearing sensitivity, using an audiometer. Pure-tone audiometry is one of the methods used to determine the person’s hearing thresholds at different frequencies.Read more 05/03/2018
International order for Listen Longer’s sealCheck product
Listen Longer, a joint venture between the hearX Group and Hearing Coach, has shipped the first international orders of its sealCheck product.Read more 04/06/2018
South African startup to launch US National Screening App
The American Academy of Audiology is launching a hearing screening app this summer. The mobile application, hearScreen USA , available on most smart phones, will be revealed and showcased at the Academy’s upcoming annual conference April 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. It has been created in collaboration with the hearX Group and is the first U.S. mobile comprehensive hearing screening application in the U.S. By using the free app (available in iOS and Android), the public will be able to test their hearing through screening and receive an accurate detection of hearing loss. In addition, the app offers personalized hearing tracking, and (unlike any other app,) it has an in-app patient-centered Ida Institute decision support tool, namely ‘Why Improve My Hearing?’. It will also link to the closest audiologist, if a hearing problem is detected.Read more 04/05/2018
Global report recommends hearTest App for hearing assessment in TB patients
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Treatment of drug-resistant TB also contributes to permanent hearing loss globally. A recent report by KNCV, Challenge TB and USAID, in consultation with the WHO, released a report entitled, Audiometry in the Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. This influential global report recommends the hearX Group’s smartphone-based audiometer called hearTest for ototoxicity monitoring of TB patients. This innovative mobile hearing health application for hearing tests, is listed in the report as one of only four audiometers that test beyond 8000 Hz and the only one available on a smartphone.Read more 02/21/2018
South Africans ‘Hear the Future’ with the hearZA® App this World Hearing Day
South Africans ‘Hear the Future’ with the hearZA® App this World Hearing DayRead more 02/12/2018
hearX Group recognised with several prestigious awards in 2017
2017 was a great year for the hearX Group, with several major awards recognising our products and innovation.Read more 02/12/2018
‘3E’ project team exceed expectations!
Hear the World project team exceeds goals.Read more 01/29/2018
hearX launches updated version of hearDigits
The latest version of hearDigits has been launched by hearX Group and is now available to health professionals.Read more 11/21/2017
HearX Group announced as finalist in TT100 Awards Programme
HearX Group has been selected as a finalist in this year’s TT100 Awards Programme run by The Da Vinci Institute, one of South Africa’s premier awards programmes.Read more 11/07/2017
hearX announced as finalist in Accenture Innovation Index Awards
hearX Group is one of three finalists in the Accenture Innovation Index Awards for our hearScreen™ concept, and a finalist in the Master Innovator category for companies with a turnover of less than R35m per annum.Read more 09/24/2017
hearX Group launches Tirelo Bosha project
hearX Group, in partnership with UP Enterprises and CoT, has launched the Tirelo Bosha project with a target of screening 70,000 adults and children in Tshwane over the next 18 months. The project will be concluded by November 2018 using our hearScreen, hearTest and hearScope mobile health applications.Read more 09/05/2017
Free hearing tests for Deaf Awareness Month
In acknowledgement of global Deaf Awareness Month in September, hearX will be working with several media partners to promote ear health using our hearDigits self-screening test. The hearDigits widget will be given to them free of charge for the month of September to embed on their websites so that listeners and readers can screen themselves during Deaf Awareness Month.Read more 08/30/2017
UNESCO-Pearson selects hearScreen™ as a case study
hearScreen™ has been selected as a UNESCO-Pearson case study to promote innovative digital solutions serving low-skilled or low-literate youth and adults to help them participate more effectively in a digital economy and knowledge society.Read more 08/17/2017
Crowdfunding campaign exceeds expectations
hearX’s crowdfunding campaign for hearScope which was launched on IndieGoGo on 1 August, has exceeded 100% of our goal funds of $15 000 in just 96 hours!Read more 08/10/2017
hearDigits launched to hearing health professionals
The launch of hearX Group’s newest product, hearDigits , earlier this month will give people who are concerned about their hearing a simple and affordable way to get tested.Read more 08/09/2017
Disruptive healthcare startup raises more than $2.8 million internationally
The hearX Group has raised just over $2.8 million from international investors and funding grants in the short 16 months that they have been in operation.Read more 07/25/2017
hearX launches world-first smartphone otoscope
A world-first smartphone otoscope, hearScope, will be launched on IndieGoGo on 1 August!This is very exciting news for the hearX team as we continue to broaden our product ‘scope’ in the quest to provide healthy hearing for everyone, everywhere, with our clinically validated smartphone hearing test solutions.
Read more 07/17/2017
hearScreen™ selected as Accelerate2030 finalist
We are very proud to have been selected as one of three finalists from South Africa by Accelerate2030 for our flagship product, hearScreen™.We will now compete against 49 other projects from around the world for the opportunity to be chosen as one of the 10 projects to participate in the Accelerate2030 programme starting in October.
Read more 07/11/2017