February 22, 2024
2024
February 22, 2024
2024
Hearing speech amid background noise remains the number one challenge and complaint for people with hearing loss. To address this issue, today Oticon, Inc. launches Oticon Intent, the world's first hearing aid equipped with user-intent sensors that understand and adapt to what individuals want to hear. Oticon Intent gives people with hearing loss improved engagement in difficult listening situations.
New BrainHearing™ insights show that monitoring head and body movements can provide crucial information about a hearing aid user’s communication intent in various listening situations.* Pioneering 4D Sensor technology, Oticon Intent taps into these insights, combining inputs on head motion, body movement, conversation activity and acoustic environment to understand precisely what users need and want to listen to. It then seamlessly adjusts the hearing support it provides. This offers a more intuitive, responsive and personalized hearing experience that mimics the brain’s natural way of processing sound.
Oticon Intent provides access to 360 degrees of sound while prioritizing each individual’s listening need — all in Oticon’s smallest, most discreet rechargeable hearing aid to date. This could mean providing spatial awareness to help wearers navigate environments and find conversation partners. To support intimate one-on-one chats, Oticon Intent focuses on the speaker amidst surrounding noise. Meanwhile in group conversations, the hearing aid responds to the turning of a wearer’s head from side to side to detect and heighten speech access to multiple voices.
“Oticon has always been driven by the understanding that while the ears hear, it’s the brain that makes sense of sounds. With Oticon Intent, we’ve enhanced our BrainHearing approach to give wearers greater access to the sounds and speech that will enable them to actively participate in everyday situations,” said Virginia Ramachandran, AuD, PhD, Head of Audiology at Oticon. “Our new sensor technology allows the device to understand the wearer's listening intentions and adapt in real time, providing unparalleled support and clarity in every conversation. With Oticon Intent, we ensure you can more easily communicate in any situation.”
Powered by advanced features, including a second-generation Deep Neural Network (DNN), Oticon Intent improves sound quality, listening comfort and speech comprehension, and delivers more sound nuances and access to speech.**
Oticon Intent is also user-focused in design and comfort. The hearing aid features up to 20 hours of battery life, as well as faster charging time than ever before. A quick 30-minute charge provides the hearing aids with 8 hours of power, while a 2-hour charge will provide power for a full day’s use.*** The device's sleek design and IP68 dust and moisture resistance rating demonstrate Oticon's durability and style commitment.
Oticon Intent utilizes next-generation Bluetooth® LE Audio that supports modern connectivity standards. This includes those Made for iPhone® devices with iOS 15.2 or later and select Android™ phones with OS 14 and newer updates, tablets and PCs. It is also compatible with select Android phones for one-way direct streaming with the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol.† Users can now seamlessly connect to a wide range of devices and accessories for hands-free calling, direct streaming of music and audiobooks, and more. Furthermore, it is a future-proof hearing aid, ready for future communication technologies, such as Auracast™.††
Oticon Intent is compatible with the Oticon Companion app, allowing users to manage their hearing experience conveniently from their smartphone or Apple Watch®.
This launch marks a significant milestone for Oticon, as it continues its legacy of pioneering hearing solutions that empower users to engage fully in life.
For more information about Oticon Intent, visit Oticon.com or contact your local hearing care professional.
*Higgins et al. (2023). Head movement and its relation to hearing.
**Brændgaard/Zapata-Rodríguez et al. (2024). 4D sensor technology and Deep Neural Network 2.0 in Oticon Intent™. Technical review and evaluation. Oticon whitepaper.
***Expected use time for rechargeable battery depends on use pattern, active feature set, hearing loss, sound environment, battery age and use of wireless accessories.
†Hands-free communication is available with iPhone 11 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and 4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and 2nd generation), iPad Air (4th generation), and iPad mini (6th generation) or later, with software updates iOS 15.2 and iPadOS® 15.2 or later. Android™ devices need to have Android 14 and support Bluetooth LE Audio to allow two-way hands-free communication or the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol to allow one-way direct streaming to Oticon Intent. Please visit oticon.com/support/compatibility for more information.
††Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. Android™, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC. Microsoft and Windows are part of the Microsoft group of companies. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. The Auracast™ word mark and logos are trademarks owned by the Bluetooth SIG. Any use of such marks by Demant is under license. Other trademarks and tradenames are those of their respective owners.
Oticon is one of the world’s most innovative hearing device manufacturers, with more than 115 years’ experience in the design and development of hearing aids for adults and children. Our comprehensive portfolio of life-changing technology improves not only the quality of hearing but the overall quality of life for people with hearing loss. Oticon challenges conventions and pushes the limits of technology to bring to market hearing solutions that exceed the needs and expectations of people with hearing loss, so that they can live their lives without limit. Our groundbreaking BrainHearing technology is helping to provide better hearing with less effort by giving the brain the clearest, purest sound signals to decode. For more information visit Oticon.com.
