Siemens Audiology, Erlangen, Germany (with US headquarters of Siemens Hearing Instruments Inc in Piscataway, NJ), has been awarded the red dot award: product design for its hearing instrument remote control, called ePen.
The international prize is awarded annually for products with exceptional design quality, by a jury organized by the Designzentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen in Essen, Germany. This year, more than 1600 participants from 57 countries took part, with more than 4,000 entries. The award-winning ePen is a remote control for Siemens hearing aids that is shaped like an elegant fountain pen, which allows hearing instrument wearers to discreetly adjust the volume and listening programs. By simply pulling it open and making a few small turns, wearers can easily set their hearing aids as desired.
The red dot is the second design prize Siemens Audiology has received for its ePen remote control.
The ePen works with Siemens Life, Pure, and Motion hearing instruments. Depending on the degree of hearing loss, design preferences, and lifestyle needs, these hearing instruments are suitable for almost every type of hearing impairment, says the company.
The red dot is awarded to products that are judged to have outstanding design quality. The independent jury also evaluates criteria such as the degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, symbolic and emotional content, and the self-explanatory attributes of a product. The award will be presented on July 5 in Essen, Germany, as part of a gala event.
[Source: Siemens]
