Oticon Intent Hearing Aid Finally Launched
Oticon’s latest innovation – the Intent miniRITE R Receiver In Canal hearing aid
Have you ever wondered how the artificial intelligence built into hearing aids actually works?
Were you even aware that some hearing aids have AI built into them?
Oticon have built on their previous hearing aid technology, Oticon Intent. So stick around to learn about its new features and if it’s suitable for you and your hearing loss.
A Look Back at Oticon’s Evolution
Oticon has been consistently innovating in the field of hearing aids. Their last major release was the Oticon Own in September 2022, which included a variety of models like the IIC, CIC, ITC, and ITE. These were followed by the receiver in canal style of hearing aids in March 2023, which included the miniRITE R and miniRITE T, the Mini BTE R and Mini BTE T, and a CROS system design for those with single-sided deafness.
When the Oticon Reals were launched, they brought some advancements over their predecessor, the More family of hearing aids. However, the changes were minor, focusing on wind and noise handling and the introduction of a sudden sound stabiliser. Despite these improvements, the technology was largely similar to the Oticon More family.
New Oticon Intent Design
Based on user feedback, the most sought-after features in a hearing aid are improved hearing in noise and enhanced speech clarity. Oticon’s latest innovation, the Oticon Intent, aligns perfectly with these needs.
This new design is a little shorter than their previous hearing aid technology which is ideal if discretion is important to you. It is also Oticon’s smallest ever Bluetooth receiver in canal hearing aid to date.
It is however a fraction bulkier, so I do wonder how that will feel when it’s sat behind your ear, especially when competing for space for anybody wearing glasses out there.
Oticon have also removed the rocker switch that they had on the Oticon Real and they’ve replaced it now with a single button on the back of the hearing aid.
There are nine colours including a new sky blue. You’ll notice that they’re all matted nowadays, so they don’t tend to catch the light. The most popular colour that Harley Street Hearing patients tend to choose is chroma beige.
Oticon Intent’s New Features
Starting with a brand new chip called Sirius, with three key features for a better understanding of speech clarity in the presence of background noise.
Artificial Intelligence in Hearing Aids
So, firstly, with the improvement of their deep neural network. Oticon use artificial intelligence to train their hearing aids to recognise the environment around you and then decide on what you’re most likely to want to be able to hear, giving you better access to speech sounds, whatever listening environment that you’re in.
Hearing In Background Noise
Oticon’s collection of noise reduction features are designed to make it easier for you to follow and engage in conversations in more complicated listening situations, such as groups, crowds, or noisy listening environments, say a restaurant, for example. Your hearing aids will constantly scan your environment and then organise and deliver the most appropriate sound highlighting the sounds that will be of interest and reducing the sounds that you’re less likely to want to hear.
4D Sensor Technology
Oticon have added motion sensors that monitor both conversational activity, your head and your body movement, plus the environment around you. These hearing aids are the first in the world to recognise when your needs change and adapt the settings accordingly, improving speech comprehension by 15% when this feature is enabled.
So, imagine being in a restaurant, which is exactly where Oticon state that this 4D sensor technology would shine, and their previous technology would have reacted the same for all of these three scenarios.
- A waiter walking around would need to hear sound coming from all directions, as they were taking care of different tables and in conversations with multiple people.
- Somebody greeting customers entering the restaurant, their hearing aids would need to work differently again.
- A group of people sat around a table, the hearing aid would need to react differently again.
The hearing aid monitors their conversations, head and body movement, and environmental noise. Three scenarios, with each person surrounded by the same background noise, but all with different needs.
Oticon Intent suitability
Whether you have a mild, moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss, Oticon Intent can be adapted to suit your needs, which is something that your audiologist should choose for you (depending on your specific hearing test results). The receivers are interchangeable between either a 60, 85, 100, or 105 decibel power level. They’re available in four different technology levels, the Intent 1, 2, 3, or 4, with the former being the most advanced of all four hearing aids.
Oticon Intent LE audio Connectivity
New LE Audio Connectivity is included. In the future, we will start to see this new broadcast audio replace the century-old loop systems built into public venues. This will allow for multiple hearing aid users to simultaneously connect to audio in public spaces, all with an improvement in sound quality, with significantly lower battery consumption. So you’ll be able to walk into concert halls, conferences, train stations, and lectures, and the sound of whoever’s speaking will be sent directly to both of your hearing aids, all with a press of a button.
Oticon Intent Telecoil
Now, until this broadcast technology takes off and is installed in public venues, Intent hearing aids have a built-in telecoil, which is essentially a 20th-century version of LE Audio. The telecoil allows for the streaming of sound in a public venue directly to both of your hearing aids, anywhere that you have seen this sign in the past, and it can make a huge difference at the likes of the theatre, church, or any other public venue.
Rechargeability Updates
Oticon have made improvements to their rechargeability by increasing the size of their batteries. A single charge will now only take 2 hours rather than the three that we’ve seen in previous hearing aid technology from them. And if one day you fall asleep on the sofa and forget to put them on charge, the next morning you can supercharge them for 15 minutes, and that will give you 4 hours of usage, or if you make it 30 minutes, they’ll last for 8 hours. Oticon are pretty confident that with the development of their new battery technology, there should be an improvement in its capacity, lasting for between 4 to 5 years.
The Oticon Intent represents a significant leap in hearing aid technology, offering features that align with user needs and expectations. However, it’s important to remember that the best hearing aid is the one that meets your specific needs. Therefore, it’s crucial to compare Oticon’s technology with other manufacturers to find the best fit for you.
If you’re interested in trialling this or any new technology please don’t hesitate to call us on 020 7486 1053 or complete the form below.
Oticon Intent Review
Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing, and a content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinion on all new hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can view his video where he shares his opinions on the new Oticon Intent hearing aids below.
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