SE

Overview

The overall goal was to create a product with equivalent performance to Eargo 5, but at a drastically lower price point. The main objective was how to simplify and eliminate unnecessary cost drivers wherever possible.

Design Challenges

Tips. Devised a completely new snap mechanism, without a plastic insert for haptic feedback. The team devised a novel way of 3D printing silicone compression molds internally, so we could have experimental samples into testing in about 24 hours. This drastically improved iterative speed, and ultimately enabled us to really dial in the optimal snap feature quickly.

Simplification. From the ground up, we gutted the system and started over. After distilling the electrical hardware platform to bare essentials, the mechanical architecture took a minimalist approach, devising the absolute fewest parts to achieve an acceptable architecture.

Contacts. Requirements dicated that we needed to maintain the ability to disassemble returns, but cost requirements meant induction charging was not feasible. Previous Eargo products relied on physical electrical contacts, but these were encapsulated with epoxy for mechanical strength. The team had to revise the entire hearing device architecture to figure out a way to mount external charging contacts without glue. Extensive testing on adhesives and PSA design optimization ultimately enabled acceptable performance.