A group of researchers at University of Essex (United Kingdom) has launched a mobile app that turns any device running on iOS6 or higher (iPhone, iPodTouch, iPad) into a hearing aid. According to developers this tool has been designed for research purposes, and must not be used as substitute of a hearing aid. However, they hope it could contribute to new findings.

The application uses the device’s built-in microphone to capture sounds and amplifies them allowing the user to adjust them according to his/her needs. A detail worth mentioning is that this app is not accessible to the blind because of its incompatibility with VoiceOver.

BioAid, which is already available for free downloading from iTunes, is inspired by Biology and tries to imitate the way the human ear works naturally. The app’s algorithm source code is available for free. For more information, visit BioAid website.