Signia announced the launch of its Augmented Xperience (AX) hearing aid platform that “intelligently and automatically processes sound to better ensure that patients hear more clearly – regardless of the listening environment.”

Rather than simply amplifying all sounds, like most of today’s hearing aids, Augmented Xperience is said to “intelligently understand which sounds should be pulled to the foreground and prioritized, and which should remain in the background.”

The net result of this world’s first split-processing technology is “a fully-immersive and intelligent hearing experience. Sounds shift into the foreground and background naturally and seamlessly depending on the environment, creating an augmented hearing experience that’s better than normal hearing in certain situations.^[1]”

“Hearing isn’t always easy. A group of people talking simultaneously, softly-spoken talkers in a bustling room, too much background noise – these are challenging environments regardless of a patient’s hearing ability,” said Dr Leanne Powers, director of professional education at Signia. “Augmented Xperience changes the game by understanding which sounds should be brought into focus and which remain in the background – creating an almost superhuman level of hearing that optimizes a patient’s performance through enhanced hearing in any situation.”

Signia’s all-new Pure Charge&Go AX hearing aids, the first to feature the AX platform, deliver up to 36 hours of run-time per charge and are directly compatible with Android and iOS devices, the company says.

The Augmented Xperience platform is rooted in a “world’s first Augmented Focus technology” that is said to “process speech and background noise separately to create a clear contrast between the two.” According to Signia, it then recombines them to deliver “outstanding speech clarity even in a fully immersive soundscape – like a crowded cafe or an open office environment.”

Augmented Focus leverages two independent processors – the first of which addresses ‘focus’ sounds like the speech of a conversation partner, while the second addresses ‘surrounding’ sounds like background music or ambient laughter, which create situational awareness and excitement. The two processors capture focus and surrounding sounds independently to create a greater contrast between the two – pulling focus sounds closer and placing surrounding sounds further away.

In addition to Augmented Focus, the AX platform features include:

• Acoustic-Motion Sensors: Recognize one’s movements and adjust sounds accordingly to “ensure hearing in any situation is as precise and personalized as possible;”
• Own Voice Processing (OVP): Processes the wearer’s voice separately from other sounds, “leading to higher user satisfaction with the sound of their own voice;^[2]”
• Signia Face Mask Mode: Helps deliver “better speech understanding through masks;”
• The Signia app: Provides access to hearing aid controls, streaming capabilities, tinnitus therapy, the Signia Assistant for 24/7 digital support, Signia Telecare for remote care support, and much more.

“Signia has invested heavily in developing worlds-first technologies across motion sensing, voice processing, speech intelligibility, and now augmented hearing,” said Powers. “With the AX platform, and its Augmented Focus technology, Signia is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to our HCPs and their patients by providing them with solutions that level up their human performance through optimized hearing throughout one’s day.”

Signia Pure Charge&Go AX: Combining Modern Design and Ultimate Connectivity

Built on the AX platform, the Pure Charge&Go AX features a “sleek hearing aid design that is both comfortable and discreet.” As the company’s smallest rechargeable RIC hearing aid, Pure AX can make it “easier and more comfortable to wear with glasses and/or face masks.”

The Pure Charge&Go AX is also compatible with the Pure Charge&Go AX CROS transmitter for patients with single-sided deafness, and with an optional T-Coil, which enables the patient to pick up sound signals in public places like train stations, theaters, and museums.

Pure AX “boasts up to 36 hours of wear time on a single charge” and features convenient connectivity to ASHA-enabled Android phones and iPhones for effortless direct streaming. It is available in black, graphite, dark champagne, silver, pearl white, fine gold, deep brown, sandy brown, rose gold, and beige color options.

For more information on Signia Augmented Xperience, visit here. To learn more about Signia Pure Charge&Go AX, visit here.

^[1] Froehlich M, Freels K, Powers TA. Speech recognition benefit obtained from binaural beamforming hearing aids: Comparison to omnidirectional and individuals with normal hearing. AudiologyOnline. https://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/speech-recognition-benefit-obtained-from-14338. Published May 28, 2015.

^[2] Powers T, Froehlich M, Branda E, Weber J. Clinical study shows significant benefit of own voice processing. Hearing Review. 2018;25(2):30-34.

Source: Signia

Images: Signia