With more than 700,000 New Zealanders affected by hearing loss, hearing aid manufacturer Oticon is urging people to take action, calling for Kiwis to take charge of their health and acknowledge the widespread impact hearing loss can have on everyday lives.
Current WHO global data shows that only 17 per cent of those who could benefit from wearing a hearing aid actually use one.
Oticon New Zealand has launched the Oticon More, a hearing aids device that uses one of the most advanced technologies, a Deep Neural Network which has been trained with 12 million everyday-life sound scenes. As a result, the hearing aid has learned to recognise all the varying types of sounds, their details and how they should ideally sound.
The device, which can be linked to compatible smartphones, also allows users to directly stream music and phone calls into their ears and even connects to the TV, computer and smart home devices with the use of additional accessories.
Compared with previous-generation hearing aids Oticon More offers a clearer and more distinct contrast between sounds, something that conventional technology has never before been able to deliver.
Corey Ackerman, Oticon New Zealand, said, “The earlier hearing loss is detected and treated, the less impact it can have on a person’s life. The ability to communicate well and feel confident in social environments is vital to keep people leading an active life, which has significant benefits for health and wellbeing.”
“Most people think we hear with our ears, but our brains are actually our main tool for hearing. Oticon More uses AI technology, a Deep Neural Network, to help the brain hear sound in a natural and effective way.
“Traditional hearing aids can block out vital surrounding sound, but Oticon More scans and analyses a sound scene at 500 times per second allowing the brain to process key sounds, such as someone else speaking or a bird chirping, even in a noisy, crowded environment,” says Ackerman.
“When you limit what you can hear to just a single person speaking, which many hearing aids do, your brain is forced to work harder in an unnatural way, and you can be cut off from other conversations around you. “By helping the brain to process sound in a natural way, we can better help reduce the health and life problems associated with untreated hearing loss,” says Ackerman.
“Hearing loss often forces people to avoid situations with too much noise, but Oticon’s progress in the use of AI is a quantum leap in creating natural, clear, complete and balanced sounds. We hope this advancing sonic technology will deliver greater freedom for many,” says Ackerman.
