Starkey announced the Evolv AI, its newest full line of hearing aids. According to the company, the Evolv AI “is setting the stage for an entirely new hearing ecosystem that not only emphasizes hearing’s impact on overall health and wellness but creates an effortless user experience.”
“In 2018, we reinvented the hearing aid with Livio AI,” said Starkey Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik, PhD. “Today, the smartest hearing aid just got smarter. For example, every single hour, an Evolv AI hearing device will make 55 million adjustments – automatically. And we aren’t done yet. The next 18 months from Starkey will redefine hearing healthcare for the decade ahead.”
Evolv AI is built on Starkey Sound, a technology created by “years of refining Starkey’s research and science-based algorithms to power high-fidelity audio, which is modeled after the human auditory system.” Like the brain, Starkey Sound is designed to automatically suppress background noise and designed to increase speech audibility and intelligibility with machine learning technology, according to the company’s announcement.
Starkey also introduces the industry’s “smallest 2.4 GHz CIC,” as part of the Evolv AI line of hearing aids.
“Craftsmanship is something of a lost art,” said Chief Audiology Officer Sara Burdak, AuD. “At Starkey, Chairman Bill Austin pioneered the concept that designing and manufacturing hearing aids requires excellence. Our researchers, engineers, and manufacturing teams have continued that long-standing tradition of handcrafted excellence by dedicating themselves to create smaller, more powerful, and longer-lasting devices every single day.”
Additional features of the Evolv AI product family include:
“40% reduction in noise energy compared to Starkey’s previous technology,”
Additional refinement of Edge Mode,
Fall Alert and Voice Reminders at all technology tiers,
Thrive usability enhancements,
TeleHear first and follow-up fit additions.
Evolv AI’s always-on and always automatic approach helps “deliver realistic and genuine sound quality in every environment, without the need to do anything extra.”
“The connection between better hearing and improved overall health outcomes is indisputable,” said Starkey Chief Health Officer Archelle Georgiou, MD. “However, we know that if the technology inside a device isn’t easy to use, patients won’t reap the benefits. Evolv AI certainly leads the way in sound quality, but its ease of use is truly game changing.”
“We know better hearing is best served through you, the hearing professional,” said Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. “At Starkey, Hear Better, Live Better is much more than a tagline. It’s our commitment to you to help your patients live better through better hearing. We can’t wait for you to see how Evolv AI does that, in a way that is effortless out in the real world.”
The company also announces that Starkey Expo 2022, the hearing industry’s biennial event, will be held May 11– 15, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stay tuned!
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Some inventions, like the telephone, just seem to stick around and evolve. Hearing loops and the telecoils that use them fall into that category. Loops were a very simple wire circling a user when the Russian-born British engineer Joseph Poliakoff invented them back in 1937. Today, they can still be that simple loop or they can be a complex phased array pattern containing their electromagnetic signal within their border. Instead of a wire, they may be copper tape. They can be a mat under a chair cushion, mattress, or free-standing easel. They all work with the tiny copper telecoils that were invented just a year after the birth of the hearing loop.
This time-tested technology is now being adopted by the transportation industry as the best answer to the communication needs of people with hearing loss and the last year or so has been a watershed period for the technology. It’s the only wireless hearing-aid compatible technology that can meet some of the unique needs of hard-of-hearing travelers. That’s why the list of US airports offering hearing loop convenience in some form to travelers grew from a dozen to 18 in just the last year. With all departure gates being looped during the completion of a new concourse, the Memphis International Airport will join those of Detroit, Phoenix, and others that offer this accommodation to their hard-of-hearing travelers. The new rental car facility at LAX will feature the technology. The airport in Minnesota’s Twin Cities already had some loop applications, but is in the process of adding additional areas like concourse hallways to the mix.
In addition to the installation of loops for air travel, rail is getting further into the loop. Locations like some ticket and information counters at Penn and Grand Central stations in New York were already looped. The Intermodal Station in Milwaukee that serves local and long-distance train and bus passengers has a looped concourse. Soon, the trains that use them will also offer PA system, telecoil connectivity to their hard-of-hearing passengers, as Amtrak has signed a contract to spend over $7 billion on new train cars with hearing loops and has an option for hundreds more.
Like the subway cars with loops that began service with San Francisco’s Bay Area Mass Transit system (BART) three years ago, the new R262 subway cars now planned for New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will offer hearing loops. Both BART and the MTA have tested hearing loops at subway platforms and the MTA has been testing buses with the technology. The Taxi and Limousine Commission in New York City required hearing loops in new cabs a few years ago and, at about that time, Virgin Atlantic Airlines began offering their international travel passengers the option of a neck loop instead of earbuds for in-flight entertainment.
What does the future portend? In March, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued a set of Supplemental Accessibility Requirements for all of the facilities they operate in the greater New York City area. Among other mandates, they now require that all new or significantly upgraded airport terminals be fitted with hearing loops at all departure gates and information counters. Train, bus, and ferry terminals must also meet the requirement for information counters. The gates at the new Delta Airlines terminal were actually looped before the new requirements, but the ongoing expansion of JFK and Newark airports would seem to fall under the new mandate. With all Port Authority terminals to be using loop technology at some point, others major entities will be expected to follow their lead.
The Rail Access Advisory Committee has made an as yet, unenacted-upon recommendation to the US Access Board that the rules of the appropriate federal agency be revised to require that future rail cars all be equipped with hearing loops. If such a rule was enacted it would be a dramatic improvement in communication access for the hearing disabled.
Much of the progress in getting the transportation industry to look at loops has been the result of advocacy by Janice Schacter Lintz and her Hearing Access & Innovations initiative, the Get in the Hearing Loop initiative of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), and groups or individuals around the country who have spent untold hours advocating hearing loop access in travel locales, in places of worship, and entertainment elsewhere. Hearing in those places for themselves and others with a hearing loss is the only compensation they ask for, and the last year has brought them a substantial paycheck.
Phonak, a global provider of hearing solutions, announced Naída Paradise, the power hearing aid that “gives people with severe-to- profound hearing loss the power, sound quality, and wireless connectivity they need to connect with everything around them.” Now in its seventh generation, Naída Paradise is said to be “14% smaller, 27% lighter1, and further improves upon the hearing performance that wearers expect from Phonak.” This includes “powerful sound, industry-leading connectivity, and soon a new custom program memory feature with the new myPhonak 5.0 app.”
Phonak Naida Paradise and Roger On
Naída Paradise features a powerful double receiver that delivers up to 141 dB of peak gain in the UP model and up to 130 dB in the rechargeable model, according to Phonak. It’s powered by the new PRISM sound processing chip and features AutoSense OS 4.0 for “a host of premium features that work together seamlessly.” For example, the hearing aids can “automatically enhance soft speech in quiet places or reduce noise in loud environments.” A built-in accelerometer detects movement and automatically steers the microphones to improve listening on-the-go.2
Phonak Naida Paradise
Naída Paradise helps eliminate connectivity barriers that previously existed for consumers who needed more power. With Phonak universal connectivity, wearers can wirelessly stream audio directly into both hearing aids from virtually any smartphone, TV, laptop, tablet, eBook, and more. Phonak Paradise technology helps allow two active Bluetooth connections at the same time, so wearers can stay connected to their smartphone and their video chat without having to manually switch back and forth.
In addition to universal Bluetooth connectivity, Naída Paradise hearing aids are also equipped with RogerDirect. This means wearers can also receive the Roger remote microphone signal with no additional accessory required. Launched in 2013, Roger™ technology is “proven to boost hearing performance in loud noise and over distance.” In fact, hearing aid wearers who receive the Roger signal have better speech understanding in noise and over distance than people with normal hearing.3 Some Roger microphones and receivers have also been shown to help users understand up to 61% more speech in a group conversation in 75dBA of noise than using hearing aids alone.4
Universal Bluetooth connectivity coupled with on-board microphones means Naída Paradise wearers can use their hearing aids as wireless headsets for hands-free calls. A new Tap Control2 feature allows users to double tap on their ear to accept or end a call, or pause or resume streaming. A tap on the other ear gives access to smartphone voice-assistants like Siri or Google Assistant.
“Naída has a long-lasting history of delivering power without sacrificing sound quality, so we knew that we needed to deliver an outstanding product to our wearers who depend so heavily on their devices,” said Jon Billings, Vice-President Phonak Marketing. “With Naída Paradise, we’re making history again by giving those with severe forms of hearing loss access to next-level, powerful sound with industry-leading connectivity.”
In late spring, the myPhonak app’s 5.0 update will include the myPhonak Memory feature. It helps allow consumers to save a custom program from the app to the hearing aids, access the last-used custom program using the hearing aid’s multi-function button, or access other custom programs via the app.
Phonak is also preparing for the newest member of the Roger family with the debut of Roger On. The new Roger On remote microphone will feature MultiBeam 2.0 technology and an “improved pointing mode that allows the user to zoom into a speaker by simply pointing.” Roger On will be compatible with most hearing aids and cochlear implants and will be able to stream a variety of audio content.
The new Phonak Naída Paradise is available for pre-order by licensed hearing care professionals in the US and other select markets and will begin shipping in late February. The myPhonak 5.0 app featuring myPhonak Memory feature as well as the new Roger On microphone will be introduced in the US and other select markets in late spring.
For US hearing care professionals to learn more and to pre-order: https://www.phonakpro.com/us/en/campaign/naida.html.
Source/Reference
1 Naída P UP with RogerDirect compared to Naída B UP + external Roger receiver.
2 In the Phonak power BTE portfolio, only Naída P-PR comes with motion sensor technology, including Tap Control.
“Oticon More continues Oticon’s commitment to providing innovative hearing solutions that improve not only hearing but overall quality of life for our nation’s veterans,” said Rob Zimmer, director of government services for Oticon, Inc. “New independent research has shown that the brain needs access to all sounds — not just speech — in order to work in a natural way. The breakthrough technology in Oticon More makes the full sound scene 60 % clearer.** This ability to represent all relevant sounds in the brain is crucial for a patient’s ability to navigate in environments that are dynamic and complex.”
Radically New Approach to Sound Processing
The Polaris platform supports Oticon More’s technologies. The MoreSound Intelligence (MSI) and MoreSound Amplifier (MSA) innovations in Oticon More are designed to give the brain “better access to more relevant and precise information, breaking with traditional approaches to noise reduction and compression in hearing aids.”
MSI technology reportedly optimises the way the hearing device makes sounds more distinct, helping it to work “seamlessly across varying listening environments.” All types of sounds are recognised, including their details, and how they should ideally sound to optimally support the brain. Scanning the soundscape 500 times per second, MSI captures the details in the sound scene and processes them with “better contrast, balance, and clarity than ever before.” According to the company, MSI is proven to make the full sound scene 60% clearer based on EEG testing.** The rapid high-resolution amplification of MSA works in both 24 and 4 frequency channels to naturally follow changes in the sound scene, helping to balance and amplify sound objects.
Direct Streaming from iPhone and Android Devices
Oticon More features Bluetooth Low Energy technology and offers a range of connectivity options. Oticon More is a Made for iPhone (MFi) hearing aid and compatible with the new Android protocol for Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA), making it possible to stream directly from Apple and selected Android mobile devices.*** Oticon More can be combined with Oticon ConnectClip to stream from any other Bluetooth device.
The Oticon ON app lets veterans personalise their listening experience via the new streaming equaliser that allows them to fine-tune the sound when streaming. The ON app also lets users adjust the volume, change the program, check the battery level, and control other Oticon devices. It even comes with a “Find my hearing aids” feature.
More Power, Freedom, Flexibility
The rechargeable Oticon More miniRITE R uses reliable lithium-ion batteries for a full day of battery life****, including streaming, after just three hours of charging. A quick charge takes just 30 minutes and provides an additional six hours of power.
Oticon More is available in eight colours and supports hearing loss from mild to severe. For more information about Oticon More and the entire portfolio of Oticon hearing solutions with BrainHearing technology available through the Veterans Affairs Administration, visit: https://www.oticon.com/solutions/for-veterans.
*Compared to Oticon Opn S™, Santurette, et al. 2020. Oticon More clinical evidence. Oticon Whitepaper.
**EEG testing with MoreSound Intelligence in on vs off setting, from Santurette, et al.
*** Android devices need to support ASHA to allow direct connectivity to Oticon More. Please visit Oticon.com/support/compatibility for more information.
****Lithium-ion performance varies depending on hearing loss, lifestyle, and streaming behavior.
iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries. Android, Google Play, and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
Source: Oticon
Images: Oticon
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‘BMJ’ Publishes ‘First Reported UK Case’ of Sudden Hearing Loss Linked to COVID-19
Although uncommon, sudden permanent hearing loss seems to be linked to COVID-19 infection in some people, warn doctors, reporting the first UK case in the journal BMJ Case Reports. An article summariSing the results appears on the EurekAlert website.
Awareness of this possible side effect is important, because a prompt course of steroid treatment can reverse this disabling condition, they emphasise.
Sudden hearing loss is frequently seen by ear, nose, and throat specialists, with around 5-160 cases per 100,000 people reported every year. It’s not clear what the causes are, but the condition can follow a viral infection, such as flu, herpes, or cytomegalovirus.
Despite plenty of published research on sudden onset hearing loss, only a handful of other cases associated with COVID-19 have been reported, and none in the UK—until now.
The doctors describe a case of a 45-year-old man with asthma who was referred to the ear, nose, and throat department at their hospital after suddenly experiencing hearing loss in one ear while being treated for COVID-19 infection as an inpatient.
He had been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms which had been going on for 10 days. He was transferred to intensive care as he was struggling to breathe.
He was put on a ventilator for 30 days and developed other complications as a result. He was treated with remdesivir, intravenous steroids, and a blood transfusion after which he started to get better.
But a week after the breathing tube was removed and he left intensive care, he noticed ringing (tinnitus) in his left ear followed by sudden hearing loss in that ear.
He had not lost his hearing or had ear problems before. And apart from asthma, he was otherwise fit and well.
Examination of his ear canals revealed that he had no blockages or inflammation. But a hearing test showed that he had substantially lost his hearing in the left ear. He was treated with steroid tablets and injections after which his hearing partially recovered.
He tested negative for other potential causes, including rheumatoid arthritis, flu, and HIV, prompting his doctors to conclude that his hearing loss was associated with COVID-19 infection.
“Despite the considerable literature on COVID-19 and the various symptoms associated with the virus, there is a lack of discussion on the relationship between COVID-19 and hearing,” say the report authors. “Hearing loss and tinnitus are symptoms that have been seen in patients with both COVID-19 and influenza virus, but have not been highlighted.”
The first case of hearing loss mentioning COVID-19 alone was reported in April this year.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is thought to lock on to a particular type of cell lining the lungs. And the virus has also recently been found in similar cells lining the middle ear, explain the report authors. SARS-CoV-2 also generates an inflammatory response and an increase in the chemicals that have been linked to hearing loss.
“This is the first reported case of sensorineural hearing loss following COVID-19 infection in the UK,” write the report authors. “Given the widespread presence of the virus in the population and the significant morbidity of hearing loss, it is important to investigate this further.”
They add: “This is especially true given the need to promptly identify and treat the hearing loss and the current difficulty in accessing medical services.”
Doctors should ask patients in intensive care about hearing loss and refer them for urgent treatment, they advise.
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Whisper may have a quiet name, but it could reverberate loudly in the hearing healthcare industry. The company launched its first new hearing aid on October 15—a product that really is significantly different from all others dispensed by audiologists and hearing aid specialists. And, yes, that’s right: the Whisper Hearing System is designed for dispensing by hearing care professionals. As such, Whisper represents the first new major hearing aid manufacturer with a product specifically designed for dispensing since the InSound Medical XT was approved by the FDA in 2003 (later purchased in 2010 by Sonova and renamed Lyric).
The Whisper RIC hearing aids and brain.
And a bit like Lyric, Whisper will use a subscription payment model for consumers. The leasing concept is gaining ground in hearing healthcare, in part due to the fact that technology moves so fast, hearing aids can be expensive, and frequent product upgrades are now a given in the industry. Whisper will be available via a comprehensive monthly plan that includes ongoing care from a local hearing care professional, a lease of the Whisper Hearing System, regular software upgrades, and a 3-year warranty that not only covers the system itself but also loss and damage. The company is offering a special introductory rate of $139/month (regularly $179/month) for a 3-year term.
The New Whisper Hearing System
The Whisper Hearing System essentially has three components:
A hearing aid processor that resembles an advanced receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aid;
The Whisper Brain is a small device that runs an AI-driven Sound Separation Engine to optimize sound in real time. It also enables connectivity to iPhones, and
A phone app that provides an interface for the consumer.
The Whisper team, which is largely composed of executives from the AI field, created the Whisper brain as a dedicated, powerful sound processing system that also allows for updates and other capabilities—instead of relying on the wearer’s smartphone for many of these functions. “We developed the Whisper Brain to run the core technology we’ve developed for hearing,” said company Co-founder and President Andrew Song in an interview with Hearing Review. “Think about your smartphone and all the processing inside it. We’re using the Whisper Brain to apply this type of processing to hearing without having to compete with smartphone games or applications. The Whisper Brain is a dedicated processor designed to provide the best hearing.”
However, the Whisper Brain isn’t required to use the hearing aid, as there may be situations where the wearer wants to step away from it or not take it with them. In those situations, the hearing aid uses the “onboard” hearing aid algorithms in the RIC (similar to other advanced hearing aids when unpaired to the user’s cell phone).
Wireless connectivity with iPhones is also provided through the Whisper Brain via Bluetooth, and the company says it may support other phones and has plans to expand on this in the future. The RICs use a size 675 battery with an expected use of 4-5 days with typical use including streaming, and the WhisperBrain has a USB port for recharging.
Not Your Grandfather’s Hearing Aid
Andrew Song
According to Song, Whisper started about 3 years ago in San Francisco when he began discussions with another Whisper co-founder, Dwight Crow, the company’s CEO. Song is the former head of products for an online instant-messaging (IM) system most of us are familiar with: Facebook Messenger Core. A mathematics and computer science graduate of the University of Waterloo, he is an expert in artificial intelligence and a member of Sequoia Capital’s Scout Program which was formed to discover and develop promising companies. Crow is the founder of Carsabi, a machine-learning based car sales aggregator acquired by Facebook in 2012, and he helped build the e-commerce segment at Facebook which yields over $1 billion per quarter in revenue. A third co-founder, Shlomo Zippel, was the applications team leader at PrimeSense which built the 3D sensor technology behind Microsoft Kinect.
Jim Kothe
The company then added as head of sales Jim Kothe, an audiologist and hearing industry veteran who has a wealth of experience within both the dispensing community and manufacturing, in addition to an extremely impressive team of executives with experience and leadership roles at companies like Facebook, Nest, Google, Invisalign, Johnson & Johnson, Solta Medical, and Cutera. Together they are collaborating on a product that blends artificial intelligence, hearing care, hardware, and software for helping solve the challenge of providing better hearing.
“I think for me, and probably for everyone at the company, it’s a very personal mission,” says Song. “Personally, the starting point is really my grandfather. He has hearing loss and is not an uncommon story when you work in this business: I’d say that he’s a hearing aid owner, but not a hearing aid wearer.”
This set into motion Song’s investigation into what hearing aid technology was doing, what experiences people were having with it, and why his grandfather had the complaints he did. “That really opened my world to all the exciting things that could be done, but also the opportunity we have for how we can really build a product to help [people like him],” says Song. “Since then we’ve been putting the product together and bringing the expertise that comes from hearing folks like Jim and the others on our team—and blending it with the kind of product and technology ideas we almost take for granted here in Silicon Valley. Products are becoming more consumer friendly, more consumer oriented, and we’re building some of those ideas into a new type of hearing aid product. So, while Whisper is a hearing aid regulated by the FDA, all of these things influenced our approach, our mentality, and our vision towards this space, and we think our approach is a little different [from those of other hearing aid manufacturers].”
The larger capacity for processing power is extremely exciting for Song and his colleagues, and he likens this advancement to the leap from analog to digital hearing technology.
The larger capacity for processing power is extremely exciting for Song and his colleagues, and he likens this advancement to the leap from analog to digital hearing technology. He says some great hearing aid algorithms have been, and will continue to be, created that will result in substantially improved hearing. However, there’s little point in having these algorithms if they can’t be fully employed in a wearable device.
He also says the problem in hearing aids is much more complex than, for example, those solutions found in noise-cancelling headphones. “Over time, [we’ve had] very ambitious people with a lot of ideas on what we should do with this powerful processing. What’s really exciting is not just having this technology, but also having a learning platform to be able to develop it. I think one of the most interesting parts of development is that the goal, at the end of the day, really isn’t about perfect noise removal. You need noise in your life. We have demos we can run that more or less perfectly remove noise…and it just creates sort of a weird environment. So, I think in many cases, the unique aspect of what we’re doing revolves around how do we use [the research] and how do we invent some truly novel ideas? Obviously, it’s not only about noise removal, but how we can use the powerful processing specifically in these hearing aids to make hearing aids really good for the purpose of listening. That subtlety is where we feel like we can really differentiate ourselves and truly make a difference in people’s lives.”
A System that Relies on Professional Care
Song says there has been a patient-centric approach at every turn in the design, development, marketing, and especially distribution of the Whisper Hearing System. And it starts with the hearing care professional’s expertise.
“I think there’s several very important things along that path; the first of which was to work with hearing care professionals who are the ‘artists’ in delivering great care,” Song told HR via a Zoom interview. “If I look at my grandfather’s experience, it was pretty obvious to me that having the right professionals made a huge difference. And so you can talk about using Zoom or you can talk about going direct to consumer, but it’s very, very obvious—even as a Silicon Valley engineer—that the audiologist is extremely important in the process. That’s why we made a decision very early on that we’d be working with professionals. And if you remember, when the company started in 2017, that’s when the OTC laws were getting passed. That’s where all the ‘cool stuff’ was supposed to be. Everyone was saying, ‘Get rid of these professionals!’ …But there’s a care-oriented mindset in hearing healthcare. You can see that there’s a personal aspect [needed] to evaluate what would be good for my grandfather. And when you talk to patients and you talk to audiologists, this becomes very clear. So, I think that was a very early decision that’s not necessarily about the product, per se, but about our business and how we best deliver the hearing system.”
One of the things Whisper also wants to address is the post-purchase feeling of regret that can accompany a high-end, high-technology purchase. As with any car, computer, or consumer electronics device, when a consumer purchases an expensive top-of-the-line hearing aid, there is doubtlessly a more advanced model with new processing capabilities and features that will be launched 6 months later. But, with hearing loss, Song believes that sense of regret can be magnified because hearing is such a personal, important 24/7 activity.
The Whisper Hearing Aid Brain
That led to the idea of a subscription-based system using a machine-learning platform that can be upgraded on regular intervals without continually replacing the actual hearing aid or brain itself. “The nature of our product is that it gets better over time. You don’t need to pay for [the upgrades]; the hearing aid learns on its own, and we’ll also deliver you a software upgrade every few months. [It’s] similar to how you might think of a cell phone plan…Fundamentally, that’s really what we’re trying to offer.”
It’s also important that professionals have the margins and revenues to be able to cover their expenses in order to provide exceptional hearing care, says Song. Whisper plans to provide upfront fees and work with professionals, while offering patients a better way to pay for the product, support, and systems that the company has developed. Currently, a select number of hearing care professionals are using the Whisper Hearing System, and the company is now expanding from this base of dispensing offices.
When asked how he thinks Whisper will change the hearing aid market, Song quickly replied, “I really hope that everybody around the world gets an upgradable hearing aid in the next 5 years. And, of course, I hope it’s ours. We have a lot to offer. But if the market moves toward Whisper in 5 years, then we’re competing with everybody to make the best upgrades. Frankly, I think that’s a big win for the industry. And it’s also a big win for my grandfather, right? I think, as part of that vision, we have to be really mindful about how much we bite off in any of our product development. So this first product represents a first step, especially on the device with this kind of learning capability and working with professionals on this payment model—all of the new things that we’ve already talked about. But there are other aspects around this kind of patient-centric, consumer-centric model with the professional and I think there’s a lot of interactivity that we can build on. There’s a lot of new ideas we have about how to better integrate everything together. And so, more and more, we’ll be able to build that out and address those issues because we’ll have an excellent learning hearing aid on the market.”
Funding for Whisper
The initial investment to establish the company came from Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital, and on Thursday (October 15) Whisper announced the close of a $35 million Series B funding round led by Quiet Capital for total funding of $53 million. Advisors for the company include Mike Vernal of Sequoia and former VP of engineering at Facebook; audiologist Robert Sweetow who is the former UCSF Director of Audiology; Lee Linden of Quiet Capital and founder of TapJoy and Karma; Rob Hayes of First Round which also invested in Uber and Square, and Stewart Bowers, former VP of engineering at Tesla who was responsible for AutoPilot.
“Software-defined hearing technology is the future,” said Vernal in a press statement. “By building the Whisper Hearing System around software, the Whisper team will be able to improve patient care with a device that adapts, upgrades, and improves continuously for the wearer’s benefit. This is the start of a new paradigm for delivering hearing technology, and we’re thrilled to partner with Whisper on this journey.”
“What I look for in a company is the team,” said Hayes. “The Whisper team combines incredible expertise in cutting edge artificial intelligence, software, and hardware with a genuine passion for helping people. I’m excited to work with them to transform the hearing space.”
Transport noise is a major problem in Europe, with over 100 million people living in areas where road traffic noise exceeds levels greater than 55dB, the health-based threshold set by the EU. A new study by the University of Oxford and the University of Leicester has found a connection between traffic noise and obesity. Long-term exposure to road traffic noise, such as living near a motorway or on a busy road, was associated with an increase in body mass index and waist circumference, which are key markers of obesity, according to an announcement on Oxford’s website. The study was published in the journal Environmental Research.
“While modest, the data revealed an association between those living in high traffic-noise areas and obesity, at around a 2% increase in obesity prevalence for every 10dB of added noise,” said lead author Dr Samuel Yutong Cai, a senior epidemiologist at the University of Oxford. “The association persisted even when we accounted for a wide range of lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and diet, as well as when taking into account socioeconomic status of both individuals and the overall area. Air pollution was also accounted for, especially those related to traffic.”
This is the “largest study to-date on noise and obesity,” looking at data on over 500,000 people from three European biobanks in the UK, Norway, and the Netherlands. Links between noise and weight were found in the UK and Norway, but not the Netherlands cohort. While the study is unable to confirm a causal relationship, the results echo those from a number of previous studies conducted in other European countries.
“It is well-known that unwanted noise can affect quality of life and disturb sleep,” said co-author Professor Anna Hansell, director of the University of Leicester’s Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability. “Recent studies have raised concerns that it also may influence general health, with some studies suggesting links to heart attacks and diabetes. Road traffic noise may increase stress levels, which can result in putting on weight, especially around the waist.”
“On the individual level, sticking to a healthy lifestyle remains a top strategy to prevent obesity,” said Cai.“However, at the population level, these results could have some policy implications. Environmental policies that target reducing traffic noise exposure may help tackle many health problems, including obesity.”
Led by Hansell, work is ongoing to investigate other sources of noise in the UK, such as aircraft noise, and its effect on health outcomes. In the future, long-term follow-up studies would be valuable in providing more information on how the relationship between noise and weight functions.
“As we emerge and recover from COVID-19, we would encourage the government to look at policies that could manage traffic better and make our public spaces safer, cleaner, and quieter,” said Cai. “Air pollution is already a well-known health risk, but we now have increasing evidence that traffic noise is an equally important public health problem. The UK should take this opportunity to think about how we can, as a society, reorganize cities and communities to support our health and reap better health outcomes across the whole population.”
Original Paper: Cai Y, Zijlema WL, Sorgjerd EP, et al. Impact of road traffic noise on obesity measures: observational study of three European cohorts. Environmental Research. 2020;110013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110013
Source: Oxford University, Environmental Research
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CEVA, Inc (NASDAQ: CEVA), a licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies, and Bragi GmbH, a technology company based in Munich, Germany, announced a strategic collaboration to drive a new class of hearable devices where the user experience is “customizable via the industry’s first hearable app store.” Target devices include headsets, hearing aids, True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, and a host of other smart audio devices for the consumer and the smart home.
According to the companies’ announcement, the partnership takes advantage of the low power, CEVA-BX DSP architecture, along with its LLVM compiler and Eclipse based development tool chain, and Bragi 4, a newly defined operating system (OS) specialized for hearables. In conjunction with Bragi 4 OS, Bragi’s patented commercial app store will “help enable technology partners and experts to offer software apps and services such as voice activation, voice biometric, audio post processing, and music services.” These software packages can be licensed and downloaded directly to devices based on this architecture, allowing individuals to personalize their hearables user experience. CEVA will also offer a range of its value-added software via the Bragi app store, including ClearVox for noise reduction, WhisPro for speech recognition, MotionEngine for sensor fusion, and the SenslinQ framework for contextual awareness.
“Imagine buying headphones that adapt according to the needs of the user. Purchase noise-canceling software just before boarding a plane,” said Nikolaj Hviid, Founder and CEO of Bragi. “Encrypt communication data for sensitive business conversations. Discover that you hear better with voice amplification through try-to-buy offers. On business travel, use your headphones to translate from Chinese into English. Add a feature that alerts someone if your headphones detect you’ve fallen over. The possibilities are endless.”
Through this collaboration, “hearables and other smart audio devices will transform in the same way as the mobile phone industry in the ’00s, by replacing single-purpose feature products with flexible products capable of adapting their functionalities to the users through post-purchase apps and services.”
“Our collaboration with Bragi brings a game-changing approach to the design of hearables and other audio devices, where the user experience can be adapted, instantaneously,” said Moshe Sheier, Vice President of Marketing at CEVA. “Our CEVA-BX audio DSPs, voice processing and motion sensing software, and SenslinQ context-aware framework perfectly complement Bragi’s OS and unique capabilities in providing a direct channel for OEMs and ODMs to offer a customizable user experience to consumers through enhanced software and services.”
For customers wishing to integrate wireless connectivity into their SoC design, CEVA provides Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NB-IoT solutions, including the latest Bluetooth LE Audio standard. Any of these technologies can be seamlessly integrated into a SoC design and linked together with the audio offerings via the SenslinQ framework. For further information, visit: https://www.ceva-dsp.com/product/ceva-senslinq/.
Source: CEVA, Bragi GmbH
Images: CEVA, Bragi GmbH
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Coronavirus lockdown has been hard for everyone. People are worried about safety, stuck inside or going out to work in a pandemic – and cut off from family and friends.
Most people have the option of speaking to friends on the phone or with a video call at a moment’s notice. But for the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf or who have some kind of hearing loss, this option is much less viable.
Clara O’Shea, a trainee dentist with hearing loss, said the restrictions had left her feeling isolated.
She told the Standard: “Obviously we’re all in lockdown but it can probably be even lonelier for people with hearing loss. We can’t necessarily just pick up the phone and speak to our friends.
“When you struggle to hear, it makes you physically exhausted,” she added.
Conversations at a distance can be a challenge for people with hearing loss (AP)
Some of the social ties that help the deaf community combat loneliness in normal times have also been severed by the lockdown.
Liam O’Dell, a deaf activist and journalist, said: “Deaf social clubs, which are a big part of the community… have had to shut things down completely or move things online, which has had a really detrimental impact on people.”
But he added that another isolating factor for people with hearing loss was the lack of accessible information.
The BBC uses a British Sign Language interpreter overlaid on its broadcast of the daily coronavirus briefing and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has one, but the Downing Street briefings were criticised for doing the same. Activists had claimed it breached an equalities law, and launched legal proceedings last month.
The Government has said it is committed to getting health information to everyone in the UK, regardless of disability.
“I think for a lot of people they probably don’t want to talk about the dreaded… coronavirus but we also have to talk about it.
“When other people…. have the privilege of getting the latest information, deaf people are probably still falling behind because they don’t have that access.”
Roger Wicks, policy and campaigns director for charity Action on Hearing Loss, agreed.
People with hearing loss may be feeling especially isolated during coronavirus lockdown(Getty Images)
He said: “Briefings have to be accessible – it’s very important that there’s a British Sign Language interpreter.”
“We have to make health services accessible to all.”
And a recent development may worsen the situation for the UK’s deaf people.
The UK has been slower than many other countries in asking people to wear face masks and coverings. But the Government recently advised people to cover their faces when in busy places, including public transport, and masks are becoming more and more visible on the street.
The usefulness of face masks remains unclear – but for many deaf people and those with hearing loss who rely on lipreading to hold a conversation, they present a new challenge.
Louise Goldsmith, a profoundly deaf blogger, told the Standard that the growing use of face masks – and the need to keep two metres away from other people – was limiting her independence.
She said: “I was waiting in the queue for the checkout at the supermarket and the person behind the till told me to come forward.
“But because they were wearing a mask, I couldn’t understand them and I was just standing there for ages. It was pretty embarrassing.”
Action on Hearing Loss is pushing the Government to clarify what kind of face coverings people can wear that will have less of an effect on people with hearing loss – including masks with clear panels over the mouth.
These clear masks are not appropriate for medical use and are not available in the UK at the moment, Action on Hearing loss said.
And Ms Goldsmith said that she doubted that the clear masks would be much use.
“I’ve heard that when people speak and breathe the masks can fog up and it gets much harder to read their lips,” she said.
She added: “But it’s a good start and hopefully something to build on in future.”
Deafness is sometimes called “the hidden disability” and the impact of coronavirus lockdown on people with hearing loss seems to have gone largely unnoticed.
But neither Action on Hearing Loss nor other deaf activists are demanding an end to the lockdown or for people to stop wearing face masks. They just want the Government and everyone else in the UK to speak more clearly.
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Honiton hearing stockist of Oticon hearing aids in Devon
For consumers returning to work and social activities in an uncertain economic climate, the newest addition to Oticon’s line of technology offers a combination of “sound quality, sought-after features, and affordability,” according to an announcement from the company. The new Oticon Ruby “sets a new standard in the essential category, delivering great sound quality, hassle-free recharge-ability, and easy wireless connectivity in one complete solution—all within the reach of today’s budget-conscious patients.”
Powered by the Velox S platform, Oticon Ruby introduces the new SuperShield feedback management system that “helps prevent feedback before it occurs, so patients can enjoy hearing without interruptions from unwanted whistling and squealing.” For patients who want the convenience of rechargeable batteries, a new lithium-ion rechargeable option helps provide a full-day’s* charge in a few hours. Bluetooth connectivity helps enable patients to connect to smartphones and other modern devices to stream audio and music directly to their hearing aids.
“After experiencing this time of social distancing, consumers recognize the value of easy access to modern technologies to stay connected with family, friends, and business colleagues,” said Don Schum, PhD, Vice President of Audiology for Oticon, Inc. “Phone calls, video chats, and other virtual connections have become their lifeline to the world. These connections are enhanced with better hearing. At the same time, despite the start of an economic recovery, some patients may be more careful about spending. Oticon Ruby allows practitioners to offer patients looking for sought-after features, like rechargeability and easy wireless connections, a quality solution at a more affordable price.”
Like all Oticon wireless hearing aids, Oticon Ruby is compatible with Oticon RemoteCare, a new telehealth solution that allows hearing care professionals to follow up online with patients to remotely adjust and fine-tune hearing aids in a virtual appointment. For select patients who have valid audiograms, first fit with Oticon RemoteCare allows hearing care professionals to fit new hearing aids remotely.
Complete Solution with All the Essentials
Oticon Ruby and all Oticon hearing aids use BrainHearing technology to “help support the brain in making sense of sound and enable patients to participate in challenging listening environments.” The Velox S platform powers the new SuperShield technology to analyse incoming sound levels, identify feedback, and prevent whistling before it occurs.
Oticon Ruby miniRITE R rechargeable hearing aids offer a full day* of power with an overnight charge. The charger helps provide a stable, reliable magnetic connection for charging that delivers power throughout the day, including streaming, with a three-hour charging time. A 30-minute recharge provides an additional six hours of power, according to Oticon.
With 2.4 GHz Bluetooth low-energy technology, Oticon Ruby helps deliver “easy wireless connectivity with low battery consumption to a wide range of devices such as smartphones, audio or music streams in stereo to both hearing aids from Bluetooth-connected mobile phones, MP3 players, PCs, and more.” Patients can pair Oticon Ruby with multiple TV Adapters and use the Oticon ON App to stream from any TV. The Oticon ON App also lets patients adjust volume, switch settings, check battery level, and access features such as Find My Hearing Aid and Oticon HearingFitness.
Oticon Ruby is available in a full lineup of styles, including miniRITE, miniRITE T (telecoil), miniRITE R (rechargeable), BTE and BTE Power Plus, and five popular colors. Oticon Ruby is compatible with Oticon CROS hearing aids.
*Lithium-ion performance varies depending on hearing loss, lifestyle, and streaming behavior.
Source: Oticon
Image: Oticon
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