Dynamic Hearing licenses software to Germany’s Interton

Hearing aid software developer Dynamic Hearing has entered into a licensing agreement with German hearing aid manufacturer Interton Hoergeraete.

Melbourne-based Dynamic Hearing is a spin-off from the CRC for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovation.

Under the agreement, Interton will incorporate Dynamic Hearing's ADRO digital processing technology into its hearing aids. The ADRO software -- the first digital processing technology developed for hearing aids -- uses 'fuzzy logic' to allow adaptation of sounds to the dynamic range of the individual listener in all environments. This results in improved sound quality, better management of sound levels and background sound, and improved speech recognition in noisy environments.

"Interton is a Germany company with a reputation for strong technology. The combination of our technology with their excellent and robust engineering will make this an excellent product," said Dynamic's CEO Dr Elaine Saunders.

While the terms of the deal have not been released, Saunders said it was a royalty-based agreement.

The first model utilising the ADRO software is to be launched in Australia at the Audiological Society's annual conference this week, said Dynamic CEO Dr Elaine Saunders, and will be launched worldwide in the next couple of months. Interton has sales in more than 50 countries including the USA.

"It's a great opportunity for Dynamic Hearing," Saunders said.

Ultimately, Dynamic hopes that its ADRO technology will be used in all hearing aids, she said. In clinical studies performed by the CRC in 2002, the technology was preferred by three-quarters of the population tested over conventional sound processing technologies.

"We hope it will be widely taken up," Saunders said.