First Fully Digital Power Instrument with Voice Activation
Somerset, NJ, September 16 -- Oticon, Inc. today introduced Adapto Power, a fully digital hearing aid with voice activation for severely hearing impaired people, among the most challenging hearing aid users to fit successfully. Adapto Power provides more gain, a more comfortable listening experience and a highly flexible range of accessories and options that can be tailored to each user's individual needs and preferences. The new state-of-the-art instrument features a miniature computer chip called VoiceFinder™ that "finds" or detects speech signals in the environment and immediately processes these signals for better understanding. Adapto Power is the first digital power instrument with voice activation available in both Full Shell and Behind-the-Ear solutions.
"New Adapto Power builds on the success of our Adapto instruments, bringing the advantages of voice-activated, high-performance, digital technology to people who depend heavily on their hearing instruments," stated Mikael Worning, president of Oticon, Inc. "The highly skilled audiologists, engineers and physicists at Oticon's Eriksholm Research Center have extensively researched the needs and expectations of people with severe hearing loss. The result is a fully digital hearing instrument that addresses the special nature of severe hearing loss, maximizing audibility and speech understanding."
Speech Understanding Without Feedback
New findings show that many Power users benefit significantly from amplification in the high frequencies. In the past, it has been difficult to achieve sufficient gain in this region without also exposing users to the
risk of unpleasant whistling. With help of an advanced, extremely
effective Dynamic Feedback Cancellation system, Adapto Power is able to add more gain in the high frequencies and optimize conditions for speech understanding and maximum audibility - without the risk of feedback. It is the only dual-system that addresses feedback without reducing high-frequency gain.
All-Day Listening Comfort
Since even the smallest speech cues can make a difference between understanding or misunderstanding what is said, individuals with severe hearing loss often must tolerate exposure to very high output levels, causing strain and fatigue. Adapto Power uses an intelligent speech detection system, called VoiceFinder™, that analyzes all incoming signals precisely and immediately processes these signals for better understanding, even in difficult listening situations. When no speech is detected, VoiceFinder automatically turns down the volume by changing to a more comfortable, relaxing, listening mode. Much like the human brain in a person with normal hearing, Adapto Power instantly switches from comfort mode to speech mode in a fraction of a second, as soon as someone starts talking.
Special Solutions for Special Needs
Until now, closed vents or minimum venting to prevent feedback occurrence were the norm for power instruments. With Adapto Power's proprietary advanced anti-feedback system, OpenEar Acoustics™, health care professionals can provide ventilation of up to an unprecedented 2.4mm without compromising audibility and speech understanding for the user. The increased ventilation also helps to alleviate perspiration and skin irritation problems.
Adapto Power uses three dedicated rationales to meet the challenges associated with treating a severe hearing loss. Taking special factors, such as auditory resolution, into account, Oticon's advanced Genie fitting software prescribes the rationale that yields the best probability for a successful fit.
Adapto Power instruments provide extremely flexible configuration possibilities and compatibility with Assistive Listening Devices.
A pioneer in digital technology, Oticon introduced the first ear-level fully digital hearing instrument in 1995. To meet customer demand for dependable quality instruments, accuracy and fast turn around time, the company recently opened a new Custom Lab that operates 16 hours per day. Two shifts of skilled technicians and an independently certified quality assurance system are geared to delivering quality products in a wide variety of sizes and styles, customized to each practitioner's specifications.
For more information please visit: https://www.oticonus.com or www.adapto.oticonus.com.
For more information on Oticon click here.
