Apple has been studying ways to make its AirPods into a health device that helps with body posture, detects temperature, and aids in hearing, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move might encourage people, who would otherwise be deterred by the size or intrusiveness of hearing aids, to use them, said Dr. Nicholas Reed of the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. In India, an estimated 63 million people suffer from significant hearing loss according to data from the World Health Organisation. Details of the project It is not sure whether Apple is planning to use the information from the study to incorporate hearing aid-like features in existing AirPods or release a new version of AirPods as hearing aids, the WSJ reported. Currently, there are several Apple-compatible hearing aids and cochlear implants. Companies have attempted to add phone calling and music streaming to such made-for-iPhone hearing aids, according to 9to5 Mac. How it works is: the iPhone's microphone is integrated with the implant or hearing aid. Regulatory hurdles Beyond research, development, and product design, Apple also faces regulatory hurdles in the US where current rules by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only allow 'licensed medical practitioners' to prescribe hearing aids. But news reports suggest that the FDA is looking to relax those provisions and allow over-the-counter sale of hearing aids; although, it did miss a deadline last year. Audio-device maker Bose has already received FDA clearance for its over-the-counter SoundConrol Hearing Aids which are being sold in a few…
