These 3D-printed hearing aids could help people who are partially deaf to tune out unwanted background noise, but they also function as regular earphones.

Manchester Metropolitan University student Elen Parry designed the hexagonal-shaped earbuds, called Hex, to resemble normal earphones.
Aiming to "reduce the stigma" of wearing an aid, her aim is to create a product that can be used by everyone, so that those with hearing loss don't have to feel self-conscious.
"People with disabilities often feel excluded and conspicuous because of their medical devices," said Parry, who studied on the Industrial Digitalisation MSc programme.
"I want to transform hearing aids into a wearable technology product that gives people better hearing, style and confidence – something that anyone might want to wear," she explained. The earpiece enables users to increase or decrease the volume of background noiseThe earbuds use a processing chip that differentiates between background noise and active noise, such as music or a voice on a phone call.
The earpiece enables users to increase or decrease the volume of background noise themselves, allowing those with hearing difficulties to more easily tune out surrounding noise.
As well as immediately improving the quality of hearing, Parry's aids also prevent the user's hearing from deteriorating further.
Regular silicone earbuds can be attached to the hearing aids to transform them into hea...