Siemens Hearing Instruments Inc has announced that the company’s waterproof Aquaris® hearing aid was named an International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Honoree. A panel of independent industrial designers, engineers, and members of the media determined that the Aquaris merited recognition for outstanding design and engineering. The award provides recognition for Siemens product innovations, which are reportedly a result of Agenda 2013, the company’s global initiative to further strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of the Siemens Healthcare Sector.

“We’re honored to be recognized by the Consumer Electronics Association and proud of this recognition for Aquaris,” said Scott Davis, CEO, Siemens Hearing Instruments. “In the past, hearing aid wearers had to limit their activities, fearing the effects of water, sweat, dust and moisture. Aquaris removes these limitations, allowing wearers to lead active lifestyles without worrying about damaging their hearing aids. We feel that people shouldn’t have to compromise their lifestyle choices based on their hearing aid technology.”

The Aquaris housing is made from one solid piece, and it features a watertight microphone membrane and a sealed battery compartment. With its ergonomic shape, and a non-slip, textured surface that is also dustproof and shock-resistant, Aquaris is one of the most full-featured hearing aids available. In November, Hearing Review Products featured the Aquaris’ design features (to view this in a PDF, click here).

Aquaris is powered by the new Micon™ platform, which is Siemens’ latest iteration of the company’s BestSound® Technology. The Micon processor expands Siemens’ hearing technology to 48 channels, extends the frequency range to 12,000 Hz, and features a combination of industry-leading features, including optimized directionality and noise reduction, optional frequency compression, fast and smart feedback cancellation, and automatic situation detection of six sound environment profiles in one universal program. For more information on Micon, see the January 2013 Hearing Review article by Thomas Powers, PhD, and Joel Beilin, MScEE, or to see the article in HR‘s digital edition click here.

Siemens Aquaris was featured at the 2013 International CES press event in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 6. 

Launched by Siemens Healthcare Sector in November 2011, the Agenda 2013 program is a 2-year global initiative to further strengthen the Healthcare Sector’s innovative power and competitiveness.