Before we design, engineer or even add features to our hearing technology, we ask ourselves one simple question — will this help people hear and live better?
Not only does that single-minded purpose have the intended effect of creating hearing solutions that sound incredible and perform reliably day after day, it has had the unintended effect of earning awards and accolades from high-profile organizations.
Our newest award is from the Consumer Technology Association, one of the tech industry’s premiere organizations. Livio Edge AI has been selected as a CES 2021 Innovation Awards honoree in the accessibility category. Its innovative design and engineering features scored highly across the evaluation criteria.
What gave Starkey the edge
Starkey’s Edge Mode technology, available only in Livio Edge AI devices, is proven to be highly effective in resolving speech intelligibility challenges created by face masks. With a simple double tap, Edge Mode accounts for the impact of mask type, social distance and background noise to the acoustic signal and delivers greatly enhanced speech audibility and clarity.
Additionally, Starkey’s Thrive Hearing Control app now includes Mask Mode, a new custom memory that boosts the frequency response in certain channels to help patients better hear people who are wearing face masks.
“This recognition is a testament to the incredible talent at Starkey and our relentless drive to lead the hearing industry by breaking down technological barriers,” said Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D. “We have developed industry-leading artificial intelligence technology and transformed hearing aids into smart devices that automatically understand and adapt to challenging listening situations. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, our Edge AI technology helped patients with hearing loss connect and communicate with loved ones during what continues to be a very challenging time.”
Made for people, not awards
We won’t deny it, the awards are nice. But that’s not why the 5,000-plus people of Starkey go to work every day.
“At Starkey, we’re in the business of helping people live better lives through better hearing. For us, winning an award like this is a great honor,” said Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. “I’m excited about what lies ahead, because, in many ways, we’re just getting started.”
Join our community of Starkey Blog subscribers
Want a week's worth of Starkey blogs delivered to your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.