Fluid™ Inflatable Earplugs

Noise-induced hearing damage is the most prevalent worker injury today. The tragedy is that it’s entirely preventable with adequate hearing protection. The problem is that people don’t wear sufficient protection. Foam earplugs can be hard to fit, uncomfortable to wear, and don’t work well for many users. Yet these single-use plastic products are the most common earplugs in use today. The challenge is to design a cost-competitive earplug that fits ears of all shapes and sizes, can be easily inserted into narrow and tortuous ear canals, remains comfortable for long-term wear, and is reusable and recyclable to reduce environmental impact.

Paxauris’s Fluid™ inflatable earplugs encourage a hearing-protection habit because they’re easy to insert, comfortable, and work for all ears. Slip the stem into your ear, then press the cap to inflate the tip, creating a soft, secure seal that conforms to the most tortuous ear canals. Pull the tab to deflate and withdraw. They’re like an on/off switch for your ear. And they’re hygienic, because unlike roll-down foam earplugs, you don’t touch the part that goes into your ear. With a life of hundreds of inflation cycles, Fluid™ earplugs are more cost effective with less waste than single-use foam earplugs.

We are facing a worldwide epidemic of noise-induced hearing damage. It is the number one worker injury, with 600 million workers at risk, costing 150 billion in lost productivity, despite over $2 billion spent each year on hearing protection. Yet the cost to workers themselves is incalculable. How can you put a price on hearing? The ease-of-use and comfort of Paxauris’s Fluid™ earplug will increase hearing protection compliance, and its consistent protection across a range of ear canal shapes and sizes will reduce noise exposure. The result will be improved quality of life through elimination of noise-induced hearing loss.

Fluid™ earplugs offer consistent protection for ears of all shapes and sizes. They keep noise out, preventing noise-induced hearing loss. They keep water out, protecting surfers from cold exposure causing surfer’s ear and swimmers from infections causing swimmer’s ear. They're simple to insert and remove, making people more likely to wear them. They're washable with soap and water and reusable, lasting at least three months with daily use. This makes them more cost effective than single-use foam earplugs. They're safe because they inflate at low pressure and are made from biocompatible materials. The fluid is a glycerin/water mixture, which is a common ingredient in foods and skin creams and is used by audiologists to soften earwax. Foam earplugs freeze solid at around 0 degrees Celsius, while Fluid™ earplugs don’t freeze until -40 degrees Celsius, making them better suited to cold temperature operations. They last for hundreds of inflation cycles. If a user decides to go beyond the recommended replacement interval, and uses the earplugs to failure, they can simply let the glycerin drain from their ears and wipe away any excess. Silicone earplugs are a recyclable, circular product, and unlike foam, they don’t break down into microplastics.