Even for younger people, conversations in crowded, noisy environments can be difficult. So imagine how older members of the family must feel in a bustling restaurant or even sitting in the backseat of a car? Assisted listening devices on the market now are limited, mainly dealing with single two-way conversations or a broadcast from one person to many.
Kilteron’s TableTalk advances the concept of an assistive listening device by making it more of a conference call. A single TableTalk device acts as a hub for up to 6 Bluetooth headsets, normalizing volume and cancelling out all extraneous sound from them all. The result is a conversational experience that’s better for everyone involved.
A TableTalk device for use with already purchased headsets is $350 while $450 gets a base station and accessory pack that presumably includes a set of Bluetooth headsets. TableTalk is expected to ship in September 2016 should its $150,000 Kickstarter campaign be successful by December 25th, 2015.
Listening devices like this don’t actually do any of the work TableTalk does, making the product a true standout in a crowdfunding world full of empty ideas. The biggest letdown with TableTalk is its lack of easy charging built-in to the device that severely limits its convenience, although a stretch goal—an ambitious one—promises it.