Phonak wins three Red Dot product design awards for outstanding hearing care solutions
Provider of hearing aids and wireless communication solutions Phonak has won three international Red Dot Awards, held at the Red Dot Gala in Essen, Germany, for excellence in product design.
One of the world’s largest design competitions, the Red Dot Award assesses current brand designs and praises innovative design quality.
Phonak’s winners this year include the Virto B-Titanium, the world’s first mainstream titanium custom hearing aid; Audéo B-Direct, an innovative Bluetooth hearing aid that directly connects to any mobile phone or TV; and EasyView Otoblock, a pioneering product for hearing care professionals that allows for deeper ear impressions.
Thomas Lang, Senior Vice President at Phonak, commented: “Three Red Dot Award winners in one year is proof of what happens when you combine Phonak’s dedication to superior product design with a never-ending quest to push the limits of innovation.
“Receiving honours for the Virto B-Titanium and EasyView Otoblock are a tribute to the amount of research and development Phonak devotes to producing the most cosmetically-appealing and highest-quality custom products on the market.
“Meanwhile the awards for the revolutionary Audéo B-Direct keep on adding up!”
The products
Virto B-Titanium
A custom hearing aid made of “premium” medical-grade titanium, Phonak’s first award-winning product is described as being strong, thin and lightweight. Compared to traditional acrylic, titanium shells are 15 times stronger and 50 percent thinner, which, according to Phonak, makes the Virto-B Titanium its smallest and most discreet hearing aid to date.
Audéo B-Direct
Phonak’s second award-winner, the Audéo B-Direct, is the first Bluetooth hearing aid that provides universal connectivity to any mobile phone or TV. Hearing aid wearers are able to answer or reject phone calls and talk hands-free by pressing the push button on their hearing aid.
Additionally, the optional TV Connector uses AirStream technology to connect wearers to any TV programme for an “immersive” audio experience.
EasyView Otoblock
The final award-winner is the EasyView Otoblock which gives hearing care professionals the ability to take deeper ear impressions by allowing full visualisation of the eardrum. It attaches to existing otoscopes and speculas to provide better vision and light during Otoblock placement.
The device is compatible with standard impression-making materials and stays on the impression during the scanning process, resulting in an average of 6mm more canal length information.
Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award concluded: “I want to congratulate the award winners sincerely on their wonderful success in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2018.
“Success in the competition is proof of the good design quality of the products and once again shows that companies are on the right path.
“All of the products are characterized by outstanding functionality. This demonstrates that the designers have understood their clients and their needs.”
Established in 1947, Phonak’s mission is to combat hearing difficulties and it offers a range of hearing solutions to individuals, including paediatric and profound hearing loss.