NewSound Unveils OTC Hearing Aids with AI Acceleration by Femtosense

NewSound launched its first truly AI-driven over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, powered by Femtosense’s AI Acceleration. With over two decades of expertise, the Chinese hearing aids innovator understood the power of the Femtosense Sparse Processing Unit 001 (SPU-001) for hearing assistance. This purely on-device processor allowed NewSound to launch its first affordable, accessible hearing aids based on Speech Enhancement technology from the Californian company.

Femtosense, in partnership with ABOV Semiconductor in South Korea, has launched the AI-ADAM-100, an artificial intelligence microcontroller unit (AI MCU) built on sparse AI technology to enable on-device AI features such as voice-based control in home appliances and other products. According to the Silicon Valley startup, the new AI-ADAM-100 AI MCU is a low-power, low-cost option for on-device language processing and voice-cleanup capabilities.

A wave of new developments promises to solve the most pressing need for people with milder hearing loss, allowing mass-market hearables to supplant Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids with less stigma. Andrew Bellavia suggests the FDA’s OTC hearing aid rule (October 2022) includes assumptions that are quickly becoming obsolete as recent developments illustrate. This must read article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2023.

Femtosense announced the arrival and successful testing of its first silicon, substantiating the startup’s assertions that it will deliver significantly more efficient, lower cost and real-time AI processing for valuable and affordable consumer electronics. At CES 2023, the Edge AI company will demonstrate compelling audio applications with highly efficient, real-time artificial intelligence (AI) processing with low power, low cost requirements.