At the invitation of the HörTech Center of Competence for Hearing Aid System Technology HörTech gGmbH, the top international hearing aid developers met for the fifth time in Oldenburg's "Haus des Hörens" on 9 and 10 June. Engineers from renowned companies such as Siemens, Phonak, Widex, Oticon, GN Resound and Starkey discussed the current challenges and trends in the industry together with scientists from all over the world and developed approaches to solutions that are to be further advanced in pre-competitive consortia.Co-initiator of the meeting, Prof Dr Dr Birger Kollmeier, knows from his own experience what happens when the development managers of leading hearing system manufacturers are brought together around one table: "A quantum leap in knowledge for better hearing" - as was the case at the think tank in Oldenburg. The International Developer Forum for Hearing Systems has functioned as a unique platform for technology transfer since 2003. Leading manufacturers in the industry come together here to jointly launch innovations for better hearing. "We operate in a very fast-moving industry with high R&D investments. At the interface between medicine, digital technology and materials research, manufacturers are constantly confronted with the latest findings and issues that have their roots in basic research when developing modern hearing systems and cochlear implants. Here it makes sense to support and supplement the R&D capacities of the individual manufacturers, as the tasks cannot always be solved single-handedly," says Kollmeier. The conference focussed on innovative solutions that increase and facilitate the acceptance and use of hearing systems in everyday life. The trend here is also very clear: "wireless", i.e. the wireless connectivity of hearing systems with other devices from mobile phones to consumer electronics. The developers from various manufacturers discussed how the specific advantages of the individual wireless offerings already available can be combined to create an overall solution that combines all the benefits. "This also brings us closer to the goal of hearing aids worn on both ears communicating with each other and suppressing background noise and reverberation in the same way that parts of the human brain do for people with normal hearing," says Kollmeier.
"With the trend towards multifunctional hearing systems, we must always keep all target groups in mind. Despite an increase in hearing impairment, even among younger people, more than half of people over the age of 65 are affected by hearing loss. Their demands and frequent reluctance
to use too much technology must be taken into account when developing hearing systems. While some people want 'less is more', others naturally want to be connected to their environment via a hearing system," says Kollmeier on one of the most important conference topics "Older people and hearing systems".
The interdisciplinary and cross-company exchange proved to be inspiring for new ideas and joint projects again this year. The developer forum was perfectly introduced with the "1st Open Day of Oldenburg Hearing Research". On 8 June, more than 150 Oldenburg scientists from various disciplines demonstrated their concentrated expertise in the field of hearing research - from medical physics to engineering and noise impact research - to guests from all over the world in presentations and informal discussions. "With the Open Day and the Developer Forum, we have once again proven that Oldenburg is the think tank in the hearing system industry. Only in an open and cross-border dialogue can ideas and innovations emerge that contribute to making our vision of 'hearing for all' a reality," says Stephan Albani, Managing Director of HörTech gGmbH.