AI-Powered Earmolds Aim to Revolutionize Pediatric Hearing Care

Western University-led project uses predictive AI and 3D printing to address the challenge of children rapidly outgrowing custom hearing aid earmolds.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:02am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new collaborative project called ALLEars, led by researchers at Western University and Boys Town National Research Hospital, is using artificial intelligence and 3D printing to reimagine how pediatric hearing aid earmolds are made. The goal is to use AI to predict how a child's ear will grow and 3D-print future earmolds in advance, reducing wait times, appointments, and costs for families dealing with the constant need to replace outgrown earmolds.

Why it matters

The World Health Organization estimates that 34 million children worldwide are deaf or hard of hearing, and early intervention with hearing aids is crucial for supporting their speech, language, and social development. However, the current process of custom-making earmolds that constantly need to be replaced as children grow has been a persistent challenge. The ALLEars project aims to solve this problem and improve access to hearing care, especially in low- and middle-income countries where earmold manufacturing is limited.

The details

The ALLEars project will allow researchers to digitally scan a child's ear, use AI to predict how it will change over time, and 3D-print future earmolds in advance. This 'predict, print, and prepare' approach means audiologists can stay ahead of a child's growth, reducing wait times, appointments, and costs for families. The team is also developing techniques like 'mirroring' to reduce the number of ear impressions a child needs to undergo. In addition, researchers at Boys Town National Research Hospital are using machine learning to determine how sound changes within the ear canal as children grow, to ensure the hearing aids provide the correct level of amplification.

  • The ALLEars project was made possible by a $4.4 million (USD) grant over four years from the Oberkotter Foundation.
  • The project is currently in the pilot study phase, with researchers gathering data on how children's ears grow over time to train the AI model.

The players

Susan Scollie

Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University, an audiologist, and the lead on the ALLEars project.

Soodeh Nikan

Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Western University and the AI lead for the ALLEars project.

Joshua Pearce

Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Ivey Business School at Western University, leading the work on 3D printing the earmolds.

Ryan McCreery

Vice president of research at Boys Town National Research Hospital, contributing expertise in acoustic prediction to the ALLEars project.

Emily

A parent whose 8-year-old son has worn hearing aids since he was 6 months old and participated in the ALLEars pilot study.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're bringing a completely fresh and new high-tech approach to an old problem: kids outgrowing their earmolds faster than we can make them.”

— Susan Scollie, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University

“The ALLEars project is a powerful example of what happens when bold ideas meet a real need within pediatric hearing health care. By using innovative and rapidly evolving technology to address long-standing challenges in delivering quality care, this project will accelerate solutions and make a tangible difference in the lives of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

— Teresa Caraway, CEO, Oberkotter Foundation

“If we can reduce appointments, expand global access to earmold manufacturing and solve a daily clinical challenge for audiologists, it will be game‑changing. This project is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity.”

— Susan Scollie, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University

What’s next

The ALLEars project is currently in the pilot study phase, with researchers gathering data on how children's ears grow over time to train the AI model. The team plans to scale up the project and make the AI-informed software openly available to the global hearing healthcare community.

The takeaway

The ALLEars project's innovative use of AI and 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize pediatric hearing care by addressing the persistent challenge of children rapidly outgrowing custom hearing aid earmolds. By reducing wait times, appointments, and costs for families, this project could significantly improve access to hearing care, especially in underserved regions.