There’s an old saying that goes along the lines of “You shouldn’t put anything in your ears smaller than your elbow.” And before you go ahead to try and awkwardly shove your elbow into your ear, just acknowledge that the saying is trying to hint that nothing is safe to go in your ears. At least until now. Que Clear Ear, a company with two unique devices that claim to safely and effectively clean out ones ears.
The first product is called Oto-Tip, and the company says this device is meant as a daily grooming tool. It has a soft tip that when spinning pushes earwax out and away from the ear canal. The other is called TEC Home and is used to remove large ear wax plugs. It works in a similar manner in which doctors remove ear wax. The device heats water up to body temperature and then sprays it along the sides of the ear canal. It then suctions all the water and wax out of the ear.
Both devices are seen as a replacement to the eardrum’s mortal enemy, the q-tips and/or cotton swab, which can often lead to infection rather than relief. The company is currently raising funding on IndieGoGo. They are also affiliated with Here and There, an Indian based organisation who works with the Community Center for Development to hold health screening camps for students.
The company’s founders Lily Truong, a biochemical engineer, and Dr. Vandana Jain, an eye surgeon, met at the Stanford Biodesign Program. Troung told TechCrunch “Together we discovered that the number one cause of treatable impaired hearing worldwide is ear wax buildup. I’ve had firsthand experience with hearing impairment after my mother went deaf in her left ear years ago and have seen that ear health is a space that hasn’t seen a lot of innovation.”
Those interested in contributing to the projects can donate $20 to Here and There who will provide a thorough ear screening for a student in India. Additionally, customers can preorder the Oto-Tip and the TEC Home for $30 and $100 respectively. The devices are expected to begin shipping sometime in December of this year.
Image Credit: via indiegogo
