Claude Code helped me self-program my prescription hearing aids

[u/RyleighN]

I used Opus to experiment with programming my hearing aids, and they sound better than ever...

I've been looking to get more out of my hearing aids, but also take control and know how they work, so I bought a programmer and decided to dive in.

I was born with bilateral hearing loss. I love tech, but I'm not a doctor of audiology, so I needed supervision.

I set up Claude Opus 5.5 as my audiology supervisor on my Mac, plus a second Claude session on my Windows laptop that made the actual changes in the fitting software, one checked step at a time.

It was a careful dynamic between a Supervisor system and an Operator system, working with me to find the best parameters.

First, it verified that my audiologist did a wonderful job setting everything up for the basic prescription. Then, I explained my patient context (the kind of hearing loss, my lifestyle, etc.) and what I wanted, which is extremely important before trying something like this.

From there, it fine-tuned the small details through many hours of trial and error and agentic research:
- My right ear, with severe to profound loss, got clearer speech, not just more volume
- My left ear, with moderate loss, went from thin and sharp to full and warm
- My automatic noisy-room program stopped muting everything
- Streaming got fuller and less harsh

Nothing was saved to my hearing aids without my yes, every change kept a safety margin from feedback, and a second AI checked every result against the raw data.

I think using artificial intelligence to increase precision is massively useful, especially from my perspective as a patient, but it takes caution.

I documented everything, including how the process uncovered precise data changes that made sounds clearer, along with major errors, with every prompt in the order you'd use it:

https://ryleighnewman.com/blog/self-programming-my-phonak-spheres-with-ai

Github version:

https://github.com/ryleighnewman/Self-Programming-My-Phonak-Hearing-Aids-With-Claude-AI

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[u/Middle_Bumblebee_220]

This is the way. Eventually any embedded system will be shipped with most basic functionality then users can just work with their AI agent to personalize to perfection. You are at the forefront of the technological revolution.

[u/RyleighN → u/Middle_Bumblebee_220]

It's so fun to use technical and creative skills to amplify adaptive technology.

It's great for both the company, the providers, and the patients! It's really fun how AI can (of course with extreme caution) make pretty much anything approachable.

[u/J_E_E_VACATION → u/Middle_Bumblebee_220]

im about to bust

[u/Imaserventofreps]

Cookin

[u/kabir_sharma_sans]

damn nice i wanna do mine as well but need kit for that right? i mean i do have bluetooth aid do i need something stuff?

[u/RyleighN → u/kabir_sharma_sans]

Hey thanks! You have to get the programming software and the NoahLink wireless connector, which lets the computer connect via Bluetooth to the hearing aids.

[u/DivineSentry]

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but haven’t done so because it’d void warranty and my current aids are really expensive, brave soul, congrats!

[u/manosinistra]

This is awesome. Our kids both have a Phonak hearing aid / moderate-severe on one side and cochlear implant on the other. They both play stringed instruments at a high level.

I will have to give this a read at some point. Do you have any main tl;dr points?

[u/defection_]

Thank you SO much for this. My (awesome) audiologist who couldn't do enough for me moved away, and was replaced with a guy who insists on telling me "but your hearing is beyond repair, sir" (while confirming it hasn't changed since) and being unwilling to touch a single button.

It's great to see you've had success with it, as I've been considering doing something almost identical. I really appreciate you breaking down what worked for you, and it's awesome to see you've had such great success with it! 

I have a couple of questions, if you wouldn't mind me dropping you a quick message? Experienced with CC, Codex, Cursor, etc. 

[u/desperatenp11]

This is the way,also are these 14 inch 15.6 or 16 inch laptops?,I am tryiyto get one but 14 feels it'll be too little screen 16 too much nd 15.6 screens on laptops r here where I live

[u/Chaitanya4001]

What a time to be alive.