World’s 1st AI-powered hearing aids boost speech understanding by 53 times

Understanding speech in a noisy environment represents the biggest pain point in those affected by hearing loss, according to an official statement by Sonova, a hearing aid company with a 77-year history backing up its clout and authority on the subject.

After putting Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio to the test, a new state-of-the-art AI hearing aid, they made significant headway by helping 50% of their clinical trial participants separate clear speech from background noise.

Sonova Group CRO Arnd Kaldowski emphasized the importance of addressing the “speech-in-noise problem” in hearing aid development. He noted that improving this aspect is crucial for enhancing the quality of life for millions of people with hearing loss.

Despite significant advancements over the past decade, users still struggle to understand conversations in noisy environments such as public transport or restaurants. Kaldowski expressed confidence that Sonova’s new technology will make a substantial difference for those in need.

Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio is one product in a family of innovative solutions just released by Sonova. As the largest group to date, the Phonak Audéo Infinio program represents “a huge step forward in technological ingenuity,” according to Andi Vonlanthen, Sonova’s Global Head of Research and Development for Hearing Instruments.

The latest in hearing aid technology: Phonak Audéo Infinio

The Phonak Audéo Infinio platform took years to develop with “a significant investment in technology” to achieve such impressive results, Vonlanthen said. As previously stated, the past ten years demonstrated progress but still failed to produce a product that solved the consumer’s most basic need.

“You must,” towards that aim, Vonlanthen continued, “implement a powerful Deep Neural Network (DNN) into a hearing aid ,” which required them to design DEEPSONIC, a special chip that capitalizes on real-time AI to distinguish unwanted sounds from desired speech in the Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio.

The Phonak platform, as a whole, hinges upon the new ultra-responsive Phonak ERA chip, strengthening the product line as the first ever that integrates dual-chip technology.

AI/DNN DEEPSONIC provides the computational architecture optimized by DNNs, which solves the “speech-in-noise” problem. With 53 times the processing power, it departs fundamentally from the other AI-enhanced hearing aid chips on the market in its functionality: how it improves speech intelligibility .

Sonova makes one giant leap for hearing aid technology

Sonova has been at the forefront of technological advancements in the industry in its 77-year existence including the first directional microphone technology, Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable instruments, and the use of AI for personalized fitting, as per the press release .

AI continues to innovate a variety of industries, and equally, “Man” has had to update the architecture to take advantage of this superpower inspired by the human brain. Thus, a new era in hearing aid technology has just begun.

Sonova has finally cracked through the biggest barrier facing those who are hard of hearing. Now they can engage more easily in a dynamic environment.