The global hearing aid market is large, and will only grow as the population continues to age. With hearing aids becoming smaller and more inconspicuous, it should come as no surprise that the processing is getting as smart as the electronics. It is becoming increasingly common for hearing aids to be connected to smart phones and other devices, but what is the next step? That's where Starkey Laboratories comes in.

Minnesota-based Starkey Laboratories has been innovating hearing aids for years, producing connected and nearly invisible-in-use hearing aids. The company even has patent applications directed to means of fall detection incorporated into hearing aids. Now, Starkey recently filed a second application for a hearing aid that utilizes machine learning to enhance a target signal in a noisy environment and improve speech intelligibility.

What is the next step? How may hearing aids one day interact with other "smart" devices or implants, such as Elon Musk's Neuralink?