Annual Report 2010/11 - Sonova

The considerable strategic importance of the hearing implants
segment, which includes the Advanced Bionics and
Phonak Acoustic Implants businesses, is underlined by
the appointment of Hansjürg Emch to the Management Board.
He became Group Vice President Medical on March 1, 2011,
and has extensive experience in the area of medical implants,
including from his previous role at the implant manufacturer
Synthes.
ADVANCED BIONICS – POSITIONED
FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE
As part of the integration of Advanced Bionics, Sonova has
made targeted investments in R&D as well as the expansion
of the distribution structure. The integration of Advanced
Bionics into Sonova’s global organizational structure and
supply chain will facilitate savings in areas such as administration
and purchasing.
Innovation plays a key role for cochlear implant systems,
particularly in the area of speech intelligibility. With its
current cochlear implant system, the Harmony HiResolution
Bionic Ear System (Harmony System), Advanced Bionics
has developed an innovative system that facilitates significantly
improved speech intelligibility, particularly in noisy
environments. Thanks to HiResolution Sound, the Harmony
System offers five times more sound resolution than conventional
cochlear implant systems, providing more accurate
representation of sound, which facilitates better speech
intelligibility and more natural music perception. It has the
largest dynamic input range available in cochlear implant
technology, enabling it to capture and process naturally occurring
sound levels ranging from soft to very loud. Speech
intelligibility is also enhanced by the T-Mic, a microphone
that is placed at the opening of the ear and thus captures
sound like a normal hearing ear.
Advanced Bionics and Phonak are working together in R&D
on the next CI generation. Future users will benefit more
from the innovative technologies with which Phonak leads
the market for hearing systems. Advanced Bionics will,
among other things, have access to unique expertise on
the mechanical and acoustic design of hearing systems
as well as signal processing. In combination with the extensive
experience of Advanced Bionics in the treatment of
cochlear implant patients and the revolutionary approach
to auditory nerve stimulation, innovative solutions are
being developed that will enable individuals with severe
HEARING IMPLANTS
hearing impairment to hear even better. In addition, the
fitting process will be simplified further. In future, individuals
with cochlear implants will benefit from an even more
natural auditory experience and improved speech intelligibility,
even in noisy environments. The system will adapt
itself automatically to the sound environment, making
it more comfortable for the wearer to listen. A central issue
for innovation is the continued improvement of the
external processor with regard to miniaturization, esthetics,
comfort, and ease of use. Further areas of collaboration
include the optimization of the leading FM technology as
well as the various wireless connection options from
Phonak for Advanced Bionics cochlear implants. A further
focus is on solutions for children, who represent an important
target group and benefit in particular from small,
robust, and user-friendly cochlear implants.
INGENIA – A NEW CONCEPT WITH POTENTIAL
Phonak Acoustic Implants is developing a DACS (direct
acoustic cochlear stimulation) middle ear implant named
Ingenia. The new device is currently in the development
phase. Ingenia does not yet have CE certification or FDA
approval, and is not yet commercially available.
Ingenia has been designed for adult patients with moderate
to severe mixed hearing loss for whom amplification via
conventional hearing devices is not sufficient. The system
bypasses the outer and middle ear, and mechanically
stimulates the cochlea at its entrance, without significantly
entering it. As Ingenia replaces the function of the ossicular
chain, the system also helps individuals without a
functioning middle ear to hear better.
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