Starkey Laboratories Inc, Eden Prairie, Minn, has received two awards for Sweep Technology, which is featured on S Series iQ hearing aids.

The Stevie Award in the best new innovation category was given during the 2010 American Business Awards, and the Silver 2010 International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) was presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

“We are proud to be recognized for our innovative technology that makes hearing aids both smarter and simpler,” said Jerry Ruzicka, president of Starkey. “These awards are a testament to the hard work our research, design, and development teams have done to make Sweep Technology a reality.”

Sweep Technology is available on Starkey behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids. A touch panel on the spine of the hearing aid allows wearers to adjust volume up or down and change the memory setting with the simple sweep or touch of a finger.

Stevie Awards were presented in more than 40 categories, with more than 2,700 entries submitted for consideration. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the awards recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Starkey was in the company of other winners including Apple, Ford Motor Co, and Mozilla.

More than 200 executives across the country participated in the judging process to determine the finalists and award winners. Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

The IDEA Awards celebrate inventive and creative product and product concept designs. The competition received more than 1,800 entries from 29 countries, which were evaluated by designers and design experts. Winners will be showcased in Fast Company and for the first time since the inception of the competition, and will be housed permanently in the Henry Ford museum museum in Dearborn, Mich.

The IDSA is the world’s oldest, largest, member-driven society for product, industrial, interaction and universal design, human factors, ergonomics and related design fields. IDSA organizes the IDEA competition annually.

[Source: Starkey Laboratories]