The RONDO 3 audio processor convinced the Red Dot and iF Design Award juries with its unique product design
May 05, 2021 – (Innsbruck, Austria) – Two leading international design awards honor the outstanding design of MED-EL’s RONDO 3 audio processor: the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award. The global innovation leader in hearing implant solutions is pleased to receive the Red Dot Design Award in the category Product Design and the iF Design Award in the category Medicine/Health. It is MED-EL’s core vision to improve quality of life for hearing implant users worldwide – with the design and functionality of their products. To this end, MED-EL takes a close look at its users and their very special needs. This drives product designers to develop products combining technological superiority with comfort, modular designs, and various wearing methods.
Red Dot and iF Design Award for RONDO 3
By winning two world-renowned design prizes at once, MED-EL is demonstrating its outstanding expertise and a true dedication to design.
Markus Dilger, the designer responsible, explains the design of RONDO 3: “Our main goal was to create an honest, robust, and simple-to-use product with aesthetic quality. Making it both robust and aesthetic was the most challenging task. At the same time, we kept our users in mind regarding the size and weight of the device. The changeable covers with the new pattern serve as a filter and hide the technically required microphone openings.” The result: A one-button design making it simple and intuitive to use without distractions and an extremely slim and lightweight device. The single-unit processor comes without cables and is worn off the ear, which makes it particularly comfortable for spectacle wearers. Users can choose from over 30 different design options thanks to changeable covers.
That way, RONDO 3 can either blend in or stand out – users can match the covers according to their mood to stand out from the crowd and show their individual style: Funny monsters, pirates, or animals for kids, stylish patterns for fashionistas, or unobtrusive hair-patterned covers for the classic type. With more than 30 sleek and stylish designs to choose from, RONDO 3 can easily change an entire look.
Combining superior technology with outstanding design
Form follows function. This well-known guiding design principle was also applied to RONDO 3 as the technology behind the design is crucial. For MED-EL, sophisticated and pioneering designs always go hand in hand with technical innovations. RONDO 3 stands for superior hearing performance with the latest front-end processing technology, including two microphones, enhanced noise reduction, and Adaptive Intelligence. It is designed without cables and can be charged wirelessly for a full day of hearing. RONDO 3 is also completely connected to stream high-quality audio from many external audio sources.
“MED-EL aspires to offer groundbreaking and industry-leading products with its innovative design and development approach. The company was the first manufacturer to come up with the idea of a single-unit processor for cochlear implants. For the first time, control unit, battery, and coil were combined into one single unit, making it much more comfortable to wear,” states Anil Ayvaz, Product Manager of RONDO 3 audio processors. “RONDO 3 makes hearing and connecting with what you love so simple,” he adds.
Listening to music, a stimulating conversation, or the voice of a loved one – with the right technology, these moments of personal joy are possible again for people with hearing loss and have an invaluable influence on quality of life.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has grown to more than 2,200 employees from around 75 nations and has 30 locations worldwide.
The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 124 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined Electric Acoustic Stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices.
www.medel.com
