Phonak's new hearing aid with AI chip boosts speech clarity

This World Hearing Awareness Month, Phonak is focusing on breaking the stigma around hearing loss in Australia, encouraging early hearing assessments, and exploring advancements in hearing aid technology.

Canstar Blue has acknowledged Phonak as Australia's best-rated hearing aid brand, having received a five-star rating across all categories. The brand highlights its latest product, the Phonak Audéo SphereTM Infinio, as the first hearing aid to incorporate a dedicated real-time AI chip, aimed at improving speech clarity in noisy environments.

Aaron Thompson, Audiologist and Chief Executive Officer of Phonak, stated, "With 53 times more processing power than previous industry chips, the Audéo SphereTM Infinio marks a paradigm shift in hearing aid technology. For many Australians, hearing loss isn't just an inconvenience; it can have a profound impact on mental health, social connections, and overall quality of life."

"This AI-driven technology provides real-time speech-from-noise separation, allowing users to engage in conversations with unprecedented clarity, from any direction."

Phonak addresses a growing health concern. Current figures show that more than 3.6 million Australians experience some degree of hearing impairment. Noise-induced hearing loss is notably rising among younger demographics. Research predicts that the current statistic of one in six Australians affected by hearing loss will increase to one in four by 2050.

The Audéo SphereTM Infinio is a game-changer for those with hearing loss, particularly when understanding speech in noisy settings. The device claims to reduce the effort needed to understand speech in noise by 45%, improving cognitive ease for users.

The AI chip embedded within the Audéo SphereTM Infinio enables real-time processing to dynamically separate speech from background noise. Another feature is spheric speech clarity, which provides instant clarity of speech irrespective of the direction it comes from.

Further enhancing its usability, the device offers industry-leading connectivity options, facilitating hands-free calls and audio streaming over a distance twice that of previous models. The Audéo SphereTM Infinio also offers practical advantages, being both rechargeable and engineered in Switzerland for durability.