MED-EL, a leading provider of hearing implant systems in the region, has launched the world’s first cochlear implant audio processor to feature wireless charging.

Utilising a ground-breaking design, the RONDO 2 frees implant users from the need to regularly replace batteries, making the device easy to use, more cost effective and friendlier to the environment.

Wireless charging allows users to power their implant with 18 hours of battery life for four hour charge, giving users a full day of hearing from one overnight charge. It also saves users from the hassle of replacing the disposable batteries that power the device. In a single year, powering the device every day would require more than 700 batteries, which is not necessary anymore.

“We are so used to charging our devices at home overnight,” said David Raetz, CEO MED-EL Middle East. “We charge phones and tablets this way, so why not audio processors? It’s the next logical step for cochlear implants and we are so excited to be pioneering the way forward.”

Cochlear implants are small implantable devices that allow people with profound hearing loss to experience the sensation of sound by electrically stimulating the inner ear.

RONDO 2 is the external part of the implant, attached magnetically on the head, and functions as an audio processor, picking up and transmitting sound to the internal implant. The RONDO 2uniquely combines a transmitter coil, control unit and power source into a single device – a single unit processor – meaning it can be worn with glasses or hidden completely under hair.

RONDO 2, and its accessories, will be available in the region from the end of 2017. – TradeArabia News Service