Two pioneering hearing solutions receive prestigious design award

Hearing aid manufacturer Oticon has received the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Design Award: Product Design 2022 for two of its innovative hearing technologies that enrich the lives of those with hearing loss.

Standing out in the Ret Dot Design Awards 2022 Medical Devices and Technology categories, the Red Dot jury praised the Oticon Play PX paediatric hearing aids and the Oticon SmartCharger for helping children’s hearing develop naturally and enabling hearing aid users to travel light, respectively.

The jury of independent designers, design professors and specialist journalists recognised that Oticon Play PX will benefit children in their everyday life, helping them to make sense of the important sounds that let them develop naturally.

Oticon Play PX is designed to provide the variety of meaningful sound that is important for the development of a child’s auditory system. The intelligent Deep Neural Network (DNN) in Oticon Play PX learns to recognise sounds through experience, just like how a child’s brain does, and so supports developing brains to handle and make sense of sound in a more natural way.

Furthermore, sound from all directions is clearer for speech recognition and recall than hearing aids using traditional and OMNI directional hearing technology, according to Oticon. This improves children’s access to the communication required for language, learning, and emotional and social development.

The jury also awarded the Oticon SmartCharger because it provides Oticon hearing aid users a more convenient power solution that enables them to travel light and at the same time functions as protection and dryer for the hearing aids.

The reliable and easy-to-use Oticon SmartCharger has a built-in power bank, which reserves power for a minimum of three full charges, enabling hearing aid users to be away from a power source for at least three days. SmartCharger features a tough and accessible, lightweight case that keeps hearing aids safe from knocks and debris while travelling, and also in good working order, automatically drying moisture build-up inside the hearing aids.

Commenting on the Red Dot Global Award wins, Thomas Behrens, Vice President of Audiology, Oticon said: “We have a lot to be proud of, especially our dedication to forward-thinking research and innovating technology. As a result of this dedication by our entire global team, Oticon produces exceptional, industry-leading hearing devices which are designed to be life-changing.

“We are honoured to have our latest devices recognised in the 2022 Red Dot Design Awards. Helping children to hear more naturally to support their natural development and enabling our hearing aid users to lead their mobile lifestyle with ease, will benefit a vast number of patients.”

Manufacturers and designers around the globe are invited to enter their products in the annual Red Dot competition. This year, thousands of submissions from over 60 countries were individually assessed by the independent and international jury of experts.

Oticon also scooped a coveted CES 2022 award honours earlier this year for its dedicated MyMusic programme for music lovers. MyMusic is designed to help people with hearing loss rediscover their love of music, with crystal clear sound quality for live and streamed music.