Manchester – An MSc student at Manchester Metropolitan University has designed a prototype for 3D-printed earbuds that work as both hearing aids and regular headphones.

The aim of the dual-purpose earbuds, which can be used by users who don’t have hearing loss, is to remove the stigma of disability by creating a product with more universal appeal. Using an E1 processing chip, HeX earbuds are able to distinguish between background noise and sounds users want to hear, such as music or speech. The product also has the potential to protect against future hearing loss, enabling users to decrease the volume of sounds around them.

‘It’s been an interest of mine for a while to try to remove stigma through desirable design,’ says designer Elen Parry. ‘Medical devices tend to stay the same over time – they’re designed by engineers, who don’t necessarily think about user experience.’ In our Implicit Inclusivity design direction, we consider how product designers are recognising the needs of design-conscious consumers with disabilities.

London – Otro is a platform for football players to share exclusive and unfiltered content with their fans.

The app gives fans access to original content by some of the world’s biggest football stars, such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Neymar Jr. Otro’s short-form content includes interviews, live Q&As and challenges set by the players, which gives fans the chance to win meet and greets.

Costing £3.99 ($5, €4.44) a month, the premium service is offering a subscription model that has been likened to Spotify. ‘We’ve specifically designed Otro to be a community where members and players engage directly. These players are the founding members of Otro and they are now inviting their fans to join their other club,’ says CEO Jeremy Dale.

While the market for luxury sports fans is booming, Otro offers a more affordable way for fans to connect with the life of their favourite players off the pitch.

A landmark study of more than 400,000 people from the UK, the US and South Africa shows that financial rewards significantly increase physical activity. The research, carried out by RAND Europe, examined the effect of two reward schemes offered by private health insurer Vitality.

The first of the two schemes rewarded individuals for tracking and reaching different targets for physical activity. The second, Active Rewards with Apple Watch, enabled customers to reduce their monthly repayments for the smartwatch if they reached a weekly activity quota. Results showed that, on average, participants on the Apple Watch scheme logged 4.8 extra days of activity per month.

The study proves how people can be incentivised to lead more active, healthy lives, with particularly significant implications for workplace wellness schemes. We explore how fitness brands are using rewards to help consumers push their limits in our microtrend, Perspiration Power.