A NEW system that could revolutionise hearing tests globally has received backing from a Scottish business angel investment group.

Edinburgh-based Hearing Diagnostics has received £715,000 of investment from Archangels, enabling its hearing test system to undergo trials with universities and hearing aid retailers with a view to full market launch in 2021.

It is estimated that 466 million people worldwide experience hearing loss. Around 86% of hearing loss in the UK goes unmanaged and people with untreated hearing loss may also experience social isolation, depression and cognitive decline as a consequence.

The Hearing Diagnostics test is based on a patient wearing headphones fitted with a motion sensor and turning their head in response to random, multi-direction sounds. This test, when assessed using computational algorithms, has proved to be more accurate than existing test systems during pilot trials and is also deemed to be more resilient to imagined sounds and background noise.

The Hearing Diagnostics test can also be administered successfully without a soundproof booth and by a shop assistant rather than a more highly paid audiologist, thereby increasing accessibility and reducing cost. It takes three minutes compared to the 25-30 minutes to carry out a conventional hearing test.

Hearing Diagnostics co-founder and chief executive, Claudia Freigang, PhD, who said: “Our vision is for hearing tests to become as accessible and commonplace as eye tests to ensure that everyone with hearing loss receives care at the earliest possible opportunity. Investment by Archangels brings us a huge step towards achieving our vision and we are excited to work with such a highly experienced and supportive group of investors.”

Colin Horne, PhD, co-founder and chief technology officer of Hearing Diagnostics, said: “As humans, we have the remarkable ability to pinpoint with precision accuracy the exact location of heard sounds, something which should make testing whether a sound was heard a trivially easy task. However, to date, there has never been a testing technology that can deliver highly accurate screening at low cost. I’m thrilled that with this investment from Archangels, we’re now in a position to change this and realise a paradigm-shifting new product.”