The ground research for the development of the new Lumity platform can be found in the latest published field studies and internal research reports on reducing listening effort for speech intelligibility, benefits of open and closed acoustics for speech understanding in noise and naturalness of own voice perception, and implementation of directional beamforming configurations.
"Lumity is a major step in our 75-year Phonak and Sonova journey to significantly improve hearing and allow people to actively participate in all moments of life. With this next-level platform, we build on the foundations laid with Marvel and Paradise, our two most successful technology platforms to date. This strongly underlines our continuous commitment to innovation, as also reflected in our steadily increased R&D investment, which has grown by a double-digit percentage in each of the last three years,” says Arnd Kaldowski, CEO of Sonova.
According to Sonova, Lumity provides 16% better speech understanding from the front (compared to fixed directional systems) and an average of 15% better speech intelligibility from the back and sides (compared to conventional acoustic coupling). The solution integrates Phonak’s proprietary SmartSpeech Technology for improved speech understanding and reduced listening effort, particularly in challenging environments, allowing users to be able to fully immerse in conversations and enjoy easier hearing in many situations, in quiet or even in environments with background noise, such as a restaurant.
The platform delivers a new dimension in directional microphone technology with improved speech detection and speech understanding through new StereoZoom 2.0 and SpeechSensor features. StereoZoom 2.0 provides a smoother, gradual and continuously adaptive focus on a conversation partner, while SpeechSensor provides 360-degree speech detection.
"With the launch of Lumity, Sonova is very well-positioned to extend its industry-leading position. We want to provide an ever-better hearing experience in each new generation of hearing instruments, and cater to the needs of consumers and hearing care professionals by providing the best possible solutions," adds Robert Woolley, Sonova’s Group Vice President, Hearing Instruments.
In addition, Lumity includes universal Bluetooth connectivity and allows users to track a range of personal health data with the myPhonak app, including step count and the distance walked and ran.
Phonak Lumity
Following the Sonova technology announcement, Phonak confirmed the launch of its next generation hearing aids powered by the new platform, beginning with the Audéo Lumity models. These new receiver-in-canal Bluetooth hearing-aids, feature the Phonak proprietary SmartSpeech Technology for improved speech understanding.
"Despite many significant advancements in hearing aid functionality and ease of use, hearing care professionals and their clients continue to ask for ways to enhance what is the most basic but still the most important purpose of a hearing aid: better speech understanding," says Angela Pelosi, Director of Global Audiology for Phonak. "With Lumity, we’re delivering on that front with technology that offers our best performance in speech understanding, even in loud noise environments. This platform proudly builds on Phonak’s heritage of more than 75 years dedicated to creating innovative hearing solutions that impact the lives of millions of people."
The ActiveVent receiver and Roger On are two optional integrations to Lumity that can improve speech understanding even further. The optional receiver provides an average of 10 percent better speech understanding in noise and natural sound in everyday listening situations, while AutoSense OS 5.0 allows the hearing aids to automatically adjust to surrounding sounds. Roger On is an external microphone accessory designed to help hearing aid wearers to better understand speech in challenging situations, such as background noise and over distance. The MultiBeam Technology in Roger On has been shown to increase speech understanding up to 61% in a group conversation in 75 dBA of noise, compared to hearing aids alone.
Lumity pairs with the myPhonak app, which also allows the user to track personal health data and activity, allowing the users to connect directly with a hearing care professional who can remotely assist in personalizing their hearing experience. And these hearing aids support up to eight pairings and two active connections, allowing the wearer to easily switch between streamed audio from one device to another and to make true hands-free calls.
www.phonak.com
www.sonova.com
