Apple and Cochlear team up on made-for-iPhone hearing implant

Apple and Cochlear partner to introduce the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor hearing implant, which works directly with iOS devices rather than via an app

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, introduces today its latest innovation, the CochlearTM Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June, the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is the world’s first Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor and the smallest and lightest behind-the-ear cochlear implant sound processor available on the market.

With the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, people with a Cochlear Nucleus Implant can now stream sound directly from a compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch directly to their sound processor.4,5* They will also be able to control, monitor and customize their hearing on their iPhone or iPod touch through the Nucleus® Smart App available to download for free from the App Store®.

There are 360 million people living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, and this figure is set to more than triple to 1.2 billion by 2050.6,7 According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 72 million people who could potentially benefit from the use of a hearing device including a cochlear implant or hearing aid.

Chris Smith, Cochlear Chief Executive Officer and President, welcomes the FDA approval of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, explaining that Cochlear is proud to give people with moderate to profound hearing loss access to mobile technology like never before.

“The approval of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is a turning point for people with hearing loss, opening the door for them to make phone calls, listen to music in high-quality stereo sound, watch videos and have FaceTime® calls streamed directly to their cochlear implant,” explains Smith. “This new sound processor builds on our long-standing commitment to help more people with hearing loss connect with others and live a full life.”

The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor offers a range of features with the Nucleus Smart App. The new Hearing Tracker feature records coil-offs time (each time the sound processor coil does not detect the implant coil, such as if it has fallen off a child's head) and time in speech (which measures the amount of time you spend in speech environments in hours, including FM and streaming).5 The Nucleus Smart App Find My Processor feature helps locate a lost sound processor by using Location Services to determine the last place the sound processor was connected to the paired iPhone or iPod touch, whether it has been lost on the playground, in the house or in the car.

“Technology that offers greater connectivity seeks to make life easier for people with hearing loss,” said Laurel Mahoney, cochlear implant audiologist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. “The advancements provided by the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor give parents more control and allow them to better monitor their child’s hearing while adults and teenagers will be able to stream music and make FaceTime calls just like their hearing friends and family.”

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