Three McMaster University students—Arish Shahab, Aaron Yu, and Ramin Syed—founded the startup Amano to tackle the financial barriers associated with hearing care. Inspired by their own family members’ struggles with hearing loss and expensive treatments, the team created a low-cost, over-the-counter hearing aid expected to cost around $20 a pair. This design offers a significantly more affordable alternative to standard prescription devices, which frequently cost thousands of dollars.
Unlike conventional models, the Amano hearing aid uses a purely mechanical design operating without batteries, microphones, or electronic components, amplifying sound through vibration to mimic the ear’s natural function. To help reduce the social stigma around wearing hearing devices, each pair is custom 3D-printed from a photo of the user’s ear and styled similarly to modern consumer earbuds. Following initial performance and fit testing on approximately 50 ears, the startup is currently seeking approval to conduct formal clinical studies with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
This project addresses a major global health challenge, as an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide experience hearing loss, which can contribute to cognitive decline if unmanaged. The device comes as Canadian provinces evaluate over-the-counter regulations, with British Columbia recently approving non-prescription sales and Ontario conducting consultations on similar models. Healthcare advocates support expanding access for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss while emphasizing the need for proper regulation and baseline hearing assessments to ensure patient safety.