3 award-winning hearing aid technologies
2019 was a wild ride on the hearing technology train and 2020 looks like it’s going to be even more exciting!
Three of the biggest players in the hearing aid market have been acknowledged by their outstanding technological advances in hearing aids and hearing healthcare. Starkey’s Livio AI, Phonak’s Marvel, and Oticon’s Xceed and Remotecare products all have been rewarded for their advancements. Let’s take a look at what these global brands have achieved in past 12 months.
1. Starkey Livio AI – Time’s 100 Best Innovations of 2019
This hearing aid was the first to introduce ‘made for all’ smartphone Bluetooth connectivity and consequently named a finalist, and eventual Silver medallist in the Consumer Electronics & Information Technology category in the 2019 Edison Awards. Thomas Alva Edison is acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest inventors, and the Edison Awards are presented in his honour. Looking to highlight the world’s best innovators, Phonak was well-placed to be recognised for the Phonak Marvel (Audéo M) hearing aid for many reasons, including universal Bluetooth connectivity.
Each year, Time magazine announces its list of 100 ground-breaking inventions. The innovations making this list are said to be contributing to making the world a better place – and the Livio AI sits comfortably in that category. This prestigious honour allows for inventions that are original and effective in changing the way we think about what’s possible and how we interact with the world around us. Being the world’s first healthable hearing device, the Livio AI certainly meets the parameters of Time’s Top 100. Not only is this an excellent hearing device, its numerous other features makes this a very unique hearing aid.
The Livio AI tracks your health using inertial measurement sensors to measure the wearer’s position and body movement. The ‘on-board sensors’ assess your physical and social activity while you wear the hearing aid. Users get a ‘Brain and Body Score’ with direct monitoring of physical and cognitive activity. Points are given for how much you move your body, and how much brain benefit the hearing aid is providing you. The aim of the Brain and Body score is to make the wearer more physically and socially active. The ‘on-board sensors’ also have a role to play in the Fall Detection system of the Livio AI. These sensors, being situated on the head give better and more accurate results in detecting falls, when compared to neck-worn medical alert devices. If the wearer does have a fall, their loved ones will receive a text message, alerting them assistance is needed. The Livio AI comes with the smartphone Thrive App for remote hearing healthcare. It also has a Language Translation feature, with 27 languages. It’s not surprising with all these amazing features that Starkey’s Livio AI made Time’s 100 Best Innovations of 2019.
2. Phonak Marvel - Edison Award: Silver Medallist
This hearing aid was the first to introduce ‘made for all’ smartphone Bluetooth connectivity and consequently named a finalist, and eventual Silver medallist in the Consumer Electronics & Information Technology category in the 2019 Edison Awards. Thomas Alva Edison is acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest inventors, and the Edison Awards are presented in his honour. Looking to highlight the world’s best innovators, Phonak was well-placed to be recognised for the Phonak Marvel (Audéo M) hearing aid for many reasons, including universal Bluetooth connectivity.
The Marvel offers clear, rich sound using AutoSense 3 technology. This technology adjusts automatically as it detects differing listening environments, whether you’re in streaming or non-streaming mode. It provides exceptional speech understanding in noise, reducing your listening efforts in complex environments. The connectivity is second-to-none, using Bluetooth Classic technology. You can connect to any Bluetooth enabled phone and enjoy true hands-free phone calls, streaming to both ears. The microphone on the hearing aid picks up your voice and sends the signal without any loss in sound quality. You can answer your phone from another room, without having to physically pick it up. The hearing aid offers rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries, giving you 24 hours of power without streaming and 16 hours with streaming. You’ll also be able to access your audiologist with a range of smartphone apps, allowing for remote care, including video chat for virtual appointments, remote tuning, from anywhere in the world. And all Marvel hearing aids come ‘Roger Ready’, for any assistive device requirements. All these features make Phonak Marvel a worthy Silver Medallist recipient for the 2019 Edison Awards.
3. Oticon Xceed & RemoteCare
Oticon has been honoured in two categories for two separate technologies in the upcoming CES 2020 Innovations Awards: Health & Wellness and Tech for a Better World.
Oticon Xceed is the world’s most powerful hearing aid and has been named an Honoree in the Health& Wellness category. As with all Oticon’s latest hearing aids, the Xceed has the OpenSound Navigator and BrainHearing technology. For users with severe to profound hearing loss, they now also have the advantages of reduced listening effort with improved speech clarity which, Oticon reports, will assist in short-term recall for people with this level of hearing loss.
The Xceed hearing aid will scan the listener’s environment 100 times per second, analyse all sounds in a 360⁰ radius, supporting the brain to hear naturally even in the most complex listening situations. With a maximum power output of 146dB the Oticon Xceed high-powered hearing aid gives unprecedented hearing ability for those in need of a high-powered device. Xceed is a deserving recipient of the CES Innovation Honoree award.
Oticon RemoteCare was named an Honoree in the Tech for a Better World category. It’s a new e-health solution to connect you with your hearing healthcare clinician remotely for digital aftercare service. This smartphone app will launch in 2020 and allow your clinician to adjust and fine tune your Oticon hearing aids remotely. You can also communicate with your clinician from the convenience of your workplace or home. This is fantastic technology for people who may find it difficult to attend a traditional hearing clinic – if you are unwell, have a disability or live in a rural or remote area – Oticon RemoteCare will provide an added support network for hearing aid users. For improving quality of life, Oticon RemoteCare is a worthwhile CES Innovation Honoree in this category.
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