Business Opportunities Weblog

September 11, 2006 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

SUN HERALD:

It’s so simple yet important that Robert Raab doesn’t know why someone hasn’t come up with his invention before this.

Neither he nor anyone in his family is hard of hearing, but when Raab saw a “deaf child” sign along the street, “It just hit me,” he said. He kept thinking about the challenges of the deaf and was inspired to create his Ear-Mounted Alarm & Signaling Device.

“It’s just a two-piece system,” he said. A remote control about the size of a deck of cards sends a wireless signal – either an alarm or a vibration for those without hearing – to the earpiece that looks like a hearing aid. Raab says a hearing aid can actually be built into the devise.

The primary use is for deaf children and adults. A child at the playground could be alerted that it’s time to go inside or he’s getting too near the street.

Because the signal transmits for a half-mile, “It can be used so many different ways,” noted Raab, such as an alert for a heavy equipment operator who can’t hear someone calling or even as a silent communication for hunters.

In Ideas, Invention, Startup | 1 Comment