Over-the-counter hearing aids spark new product at Redux
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The business landscape for hearing aids drastically changed when they became available over-the-counter (OTC) late last year, and a small company in Fishers believes it’s poised to take a giant bite out of the young market.
Redux says about 2,500 audiology clinics are already using its professional dryer for hearing aids, and in a matter of days, the company will roll out a dryer designed for home use. Noting moisture is “the only reason [hearing aids] don’t last,” Redux President Reuben Zielinski says the home dryer is expected to turn the volume up on business as millions of Americans can now buy hearing aids at their neighborhood store.
“There’s only one reason why a hearing aid fails: it absorbs moisture,” says Zielinski. “The receiver—the little speaker in your ear canal—is in a really tight environment that’s high humidity and high temperature; it creates what’s called concealed condensation. Moisture is condensed inside the speaker and attenuates (dampens) the sound.”
Zielinski explains how the Redux Home Dryer differs from other hearing aid dryers on the market.
Zielinski says sweat and the body’s natural humidity also create moisture in the portion of the hearing aid that hangs behind the ear, and “that evaporation is going right into the electronics.”
Redux’s professional dryer has been on the market since 2019, but the company saw an opportunity for growth when OTC hearing aids hit the market in late 2022. The major development means people can purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online, without the need for a medical exam, prescription or a fitting by an audiologist.
The FDA estimates 30 million adults in the U.S. could benefit from hearing aid use, and it’s an especially important health issue for seniors. A study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that older adults with greater severity of hearing loss were more likely to have dementia, but the likelihood dropped among hearing aid users.
Redux says more than 80% of patients who use the professional dryer in a clinic report the hearing aids sound better, and half of hearing aids that have completely stopped working are restored after using the dryer. The professional dryer costs $2,000 to $3,000, but the company has designed the Redux Home Dryer that retails for about $399; the company hopes to reduce the price as the sales volume grows.
“We’re not trying to cut the audiologist out. We liken the audiologist to the dentist; you go to the dentist a couple times a year to get your teeth checked and cleaned by a professional. Our home dryer is like the toothbrush that you use at home,” says Zielinski. “There are millions of people that wear hearing aids, and they’re not all are going to be in a professional [clinic] with a Redux dryer.”
The company got its start by developing high-tech drying machines for cell phones—an innovation that began in Zielinski’s basement and is now in 2,300 Verizon Wireless stores. Based on his experience at a hearing aid provider, he saw huge market opportunity in modifying the technology for hearing devices.
Zielinski says the technology originated when a neighbor accidentally put her cell phone in the washing machine.
“You could call the [Redux hearing aid dryers] high-tech evaporators, or vacuum dryers, for electronics,” says Zielinski. “You put the hearing aids inside a chamber, and the dryer lowers the vacuum pressure inside the chamber. For any electronics in the chamber, the water will boil off at room temperature and turn to gas. Therefore, we can run the machine until there’s no water left, because we detect an end point with a humidity sensor.”
There are plenty of hearing aid dryers on the market, but Zielinski says based on testing, Redux is the only one that “guarantees removal of 100% of the moisture in electronics.” Zielinski notes the Redux Home Dryer can also be used to dry cochlear implants and even AirPods.
Multiple Redux engineers developed the dryers; components are shipped from other Midwest manufacturers and the devices are assembled at the Fishers operation. Zielinski says the company hasn’t advertised the home dryers yet and already has more than 50 pre-orders; Redux plans to start shipping them in early August.
Zielinski says some big box retailers are “very interested” in using the professional dryers to give clients a “free dry” in-store, so they can hear the difference and become interested in purchasing a home dryer that would also be sold on-site.
“It’s a shame people buy these devices, and they’re degrading with them not even realizing they’re degrading,” says Zielinski. “We would like our home dryer to be so pervasive and at a cost that we can deliver it to a lot of people worldwide. We believe strongly in helping people. That’s our mission.”