Europe is one of the regions with the highest life expectancy. Our country is not only progressing in terms of the maximum age that can be reached in a healthy manner, but it has also an increasing average agebecause the birth rate is getting lower and lower.
This is why there are more and more products intended for people of a certain age, particularly those linked to certain physical problems this can occur from a certain point in time. A good example is the deafness And, as with sight, this sense can be impaired, in some cases leading to difficulty hearing, which introduces additional barriers in communicating with others.
This is why hearing aids are becoming more and more common., headphones designed to improve the hearing ability of people with problems of this type. These are not particularly new devices as they have been around for decades, but there have been new developments in terms of functions and capabilities. In fact, even Apple seems to be considering entering this sector, not by launching a new product, but by making its popular AirPods able to double as headphones.
An example is the Oticon’s Intent, an intelligent hearing aid that adapts to each user and especially to the environment around them. Using sensors typically found in devices such as smartphones, this smart hearing aid can improve the hearing ability of older people in a personalized way.
How is it different
One of the biggest differences of this hearing aid compared to the competition is the use of sensors to understand certain user actions and its environment and adapt the sound amplification to it. The integrated sensors make it possible to know the gestures made by the person wearing them, to identify priority sound sources, and also make it possible to understand the noise in the environment, to value certain frequencies and not all.
Oticon’s Intent
Free Android
The Oticon Intent analyzes the movement of the head, the conversation taking place around the person wearing it and uses artificial intelligence to recognize and process sounds of all types. In fact, it was trained with over twelve million real sound scenes to have a database with which to create this AI.
The sensors collect details of the environment 360º around the listener. Other sensors, head motion sensors, monitor whether the user moves their head to understand the type of communication situation, in addition to said movements. Other sensors are able to detect whether the body itself is moving.
Oticon Intent Charging Case
Free Android
The MoreSound Amplifier 3.0 system provides amplification over a frequency range from 80 Hz to 10,000 Hz. Additionally, It is possible to amplify only those sounds that the system detects as important at any timewithout falling into the problem of amplifying everything.
An important application
Another key function of this hearing aid is provided by its mobile application, available for Android and iOS. From here it is possible to adjust the hearing aid volume or change the specific sound program chosen. In addition, it allows you to monitor the battery of both hearing aids, or even adjust the volume of high, medium or low sounds in the environment using an equalizer.
Oticon Request for Intent
Free Android
You can also activate SpeechBooster mode from the app, which reduces background noise and improves speech sound pickup. This is particularly useful in noisy environments. Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, these hearing aids can not only be connected to your mobile phone, but also to other devices such as TV adapters or devices such as Oticon EduMic or ConnectClip.
High-end headphones
The price of this device is one of the barriers to entry because it is very high. A pair of Oticon Intent costs between 2,000 and 2,500 dollars depending on the store and the available supply. There are nine different colors for the housing that sits behind the ear, but the earpiece and connection cable are transparent, to attract as little attention as possible.
It is for this reason that more and more companies are trying to create alternative devices to hearing aids, some of which are developed in Europe. Other options such as cochlear implants have been designed for a much more specific type of patient and are an alternative that involves medical intervention.
