Starkey Laboratories has released a new line of hearing aids that sport a touch sensitive pad, similar to that on most laptops, which allows the user to control the volume and change between different sets of settings all without any buttons. Inspired by the Apple iPod scroll wheel, the S Series™ BTE with Sweep™ Technology is water resistant, which probably means you can take a shower while wearing one. Another nifty feature is the ability of the hearing aid to recognize the standard tones produced by telephones. This means you can use any phone as a remote to control the settings.
Features of the four models in the S Series from the product page:
Traditional hearing aid buttons, switches and dials are often difficult for patients to find and manipulate. With Sweep Technology, there is no mechanical movement required for activation, no push buttons that oxidize and fail with time, and no openings around the volume control wheel that allow moisture and dirt to enter the hearing aid. The sweep surface is a single seamless control, giving patients full access to volume, memory and standby controls — smarter technology that makes patients’ lives simpler.
The new S Series BTE is a flexible option that can be fit with standard earmolds or open with thin tubing. The instrument includes Advanced HydraShield™, Starkey’s proprietary moisture and corrosion protection system, as well as T2, giving patients the ability to adjust hearing aid volume or memories with a touch-tone phone. The instrument was designed for optimal patient acceptance, utilizing the same design language as the award-winning S Series receiver-in-canal (RIC).
The new BTE with Sweep Technology rounds out Starkey’s S Series with Drive Architecture™ line of hearing instruments, which already includes completely-in-canal, in-the-canal and in-the-ear styles, along with a full RIC family, in four technology levels. Drive Architecture triples the processing power of previous platforms, enabling industry-leading feedback cancellation, superior integrated noise management, live real ear measurement, and much more. It is engineered from the ground up to deliver maximum performance, comfort and personalization.
Here’s a video showing the touch control pad in use:
Press release: Starkey Introduces Sweeping Changes to Hearing Aids; Touch Screen Meets Hearing Aid in New S Series BTE
Product page: S Series
S Series brochure…
Starkey’s technical paper on the Sweep technology…