Solar Ear: A digital hearing aid with rechargeable hearing aid battery and solar battery recharger

Right now, 600 million people have a hearing impairment, but only about 8 million have hearing aids. The primary reason is cost.
The Solar Ear is a project that makes hearing aid technology affordable to everyone while providing jobs to members of the deaf community. Solar Ear manufactures, assembles and distributes, the first digital rechargeable hearing aid, a new solar battery charger and rechargeable hearing aid batteries which costs the same as disposible zinc air batteries, but last 2 to 3 years. All products are assembled by young employees who are deaf.