HeX; 3D printed headphones to protect your hearing

The young designer Elen Parry developed the HeX headphones using 3D printing. It was a part of her graduation project at the Manchester School of Art. The project was realised with the help of Print City, an education and innovation center specialising in 3D printing. This device can be used as conventional earphones or as a help for the hearing impaired. All with the objective being to propose a tool that allows these people to forget for a few moments their disability.

3D printing is already used in various applications to simplify and improve the daily lives of people with disabilities. We are thinking of projects such as H (Earring), which rethinks hearing aids by turning them into jewellery, or the project developed by BQ, which allowed people with visual impairments to enjoy works of art through additive manufacturing. Elen also wanted to focus on a project of “human-centered design methods.” She states; “My mission is to encourage social inclusion through my designs, to create improved situations for everyone. The driving principle behind creating HeX earbuds was to create a hearing device that is for everyone – whether you live with hearing loss or perfect hearing,“

Elen Parry

HeX earphones protect hearing

The HeX headphones combine several features that make the device attractive to different target groups. On the one hand, these are classic and accessible headphones that protect the hearing. On the other hand it is a tool to help the hearing impaired. With a processing chip, headphones are able to distinguish between background noise and noise that people want to hear, such as music or words on a phone call. In other words, it means that certain frequencies can be increased or decreased. They therefore protect the hearing by reducing loud noises that could damage it.