I'm disappointed in the lack of innovation in the tech industry. Many people talk about many different topics, and come back to the refrain "Wait for Apple and Google to do it".
Why not make a startup?
Waiting for large companies to innovate is like saying "I won't build the Apple II because I'd rather wait for the IBM PC to be invented".
The fact that these market leaders (IBM and DEC then, Apple and Google now) have so much power to uproot industries means that people are afraid to pursue their ideas. I don't have a full solution, but investors like Y Combinator are certainly helping.
as other commenters on this thread have noted (correctly), medtech doesn't work that way. You need a long runway, and the regulatory scene does not favor "move fast and deafen people".
Deafening is easy to avoid. The main concern is about effectiveness and this is tested in medical trials.
Second concern is with infections caused due to design.
There are start-ups in the "hearable" marketplace. Things like https://www.nuheara.com/ have products out already and there's various ones like http://www.waverlylabs.com/ coming along focusing on things like instant translation as well as hearing augmentation.
Of course whether they'll all just getting steam-rollered by Apple/Google is another matter...
Why would you want to buy anything so important from a startup? Either it'll suck or it'll be good, and if it sucks you don't want it, and if it's good, Google or FB or someone will acquihire the engineers and shut down the product.
Why not make a startup?
Waiting for large companies to innovate is like saying "I won't build the Apple II because I'd rather wait for the IBM PC to be invented".
The fact that these market leaders (IBM and DEC then, Apple and Google now) have so much power to uproot industries means that people are afraid to pursue their ideas. I don't have a full solution, but investors like Y Combinator are certainly helping.