The ELI shows up in Time magazines current “Coolest Inventions” issue. I sure agree. ELI stands for Ear Level Instrument. It is created by Starkey Laboratories, a leading hearing technology company. Simply, ELI is a Bluetooth-enabling device for hearing aid wearers. Wearing a hearing aid has always created a severe challenge for the use of communication devices. With the ELI, users have wireless access to any Bluetooth-compatible devices. This means phones, computers and music are now accessible easily and without wires.

“Our mission at Starkey is not only to research, design and develop hearing devices that improve virtually any hearing impairment but to actually improve the lives of those who are hearing impaired,” said Jerry Ruzicka, president of Starkey Laboratories. “ELI is a shining example of this as it is the first product of its kind to eliminate the interference hearing instrument wearers encounter when using portable devices like cell phones. In essence, ELI offers the hearing impaired the ability–at long last–to be wireless.”

ELI overrides the external microphone of the hearing aid when using a Bluetooth device, so that users have clear and uninterrupted access to the sound of the device without static or feedback.