Titanium hearing aid keeps winning awards, changing lives
Stäfa (Switzerland) 27 אוג׳ 2018
Phonak Virto™ B-Titanium is 3D-printed and virtually invisible when worn
Phonak Virto B-Titanium, the world’s first mainstream custom titanium hearing aid, is the winner of two renowned international awards: the 2018 Red Dot Award for Product Design, and a Gold Stevie® Award for Best New Product or Service of the Year in the Health & Pharmaceutical industry. Custom 3D-printed and almost invisible when worn, the tiny hearing device is made by Phonak, the world’s leading provider of hearing aids.
Wearers of Virto B-Titanium can benefit from the many advantages of a premium medical-grade titanium hearing aid, including superior strength, extra light-weight and exceptional hearing performance. The device is powered by Phonak’s latest technology featuring AutoSense OS™. This gives wearers a fully-automatic and seamless hearing experience – no matter what hearing situation.
One of these wearers is William Goode, Senior Advancement Officer for Athletics at Ferris State University in Michigan. Will had dealt with hearing loss in one ear for most of his life, yet never sought treatment. As a first-time hearing aid wearer, Will wanted something ultra-discreet yet durable enough to keep up with his active lifestyle.
“My new titanium hearing aid has been a blessing,” said Goode. “At work I'm able to pick up on key conversations and information that allows me to develop, incorporate, and execute plans. Before, it was difficult to hear ideas, take suggestions, and process information quickly. Outside of work in restaurants the Virto B-Titanium has helped me focus on the people at the table and not background noise. It has changed the way I go about everyday life, giving me confidence at work, outside of work, and at home.”
The Virto B-Titanium is the smallest and most discreet custom hearing aid Phonak has ever produced. Compared to traditional acrylic, titanium shells are half as thin yet 15 times stronger. Thinner shells result in smaller devices. This means the hearing aid can be placed even deeper in the canal, resulting in a more discreet fit that delivers natural sound quality. Virto B-Titanium has also received an IP68 rating for resistance to both water and dust.
“Phonak is extremely proud of the amount of success and praise Virto B-Titanium has received, most recently with these two prestigious product awards,” said Thomas Lang, Senior Vice President of Phonak. But there’s an even greater sense of pride when we hear the many stories about what the hearing aid is doing for people. And that can be summed up in three words: “it changes lives.”
Virto B-Titanium will be honored at the International Business Awards gala on October 20, 2018 in London. It previously took honors for product excellence along with two other Phonak products at the Red Dot Awards gala on July 9 in Essen, Germany. The other two international Red Dot Awards winners included Phonak Audéo B-Direct, a revolutionary hearing aid using Bluetooth®* wireless technology, that directly connects to any cell phone** and TV; and EasyView Otoblock, an innovative product for hearing care professionals that allows for deeper ear impressions.
* Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.;
** with Bluetooth® 4.2 wireless technology and most older Bluetooth phones
About Phonak
Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak, a member of the Sonova Group, was created in 1947 out of a passion for taking on the most difficult hearing challenges. Seventy years later, this passion remains. As the industry’s leading innovator, we offer the broadest portfolio of life-changing hearing solutions. From pediatric to profound hearing loss, we remain committed to creating hearing solutions that change people’s lives to thrive socially and emotionally. We believe in creating a world where ‘Life is on’ for everyone.
About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.
About the Red Dot Design Award
In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award breaks down into the three disciplines of Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. The Red Dot Award is one of the world’s largest design competitions. In 1955, a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. In the 1990s, Red Dot CEO Professor Dr. Peter Zec developed the name and brand of the award. Ever since, the sought-after Red Dot award has been the revered international seal of outstanding design quality. Further information available at www.red-dot.de.
Media Relations Contacts:
Global
Florence Camenzind
Phone + 41 58 928 33 25
Email florence.camenzind@sonova.com
USA
John Urbaniak
Phone + 1 331 204 27 99
Email john.urbaniak@sonova.com
Asia/Pacific
Heidi Zhang
Phone +86 1300 1271 545
Mobile +86 1300 1271 545
Email Heidi.Zhang@sonova.com
At Phonak, we believe that hearing well is essential to living life to the fullest. For almost 70 years, we remain true to our mission by pioneering hearing solutions that change people’s lives to thrive socially and emotionally. Life is on.