Hearing aid manufacturer Sivantos has released what it said to be the most advanced lithium-ion inductive rechargeable hearing aid available.
The Signia Cellion device, which uses wireless inductive charging technology and is based on the Primax platform, will offer wearers the convenience of virtually unlimited wireless streaming for up to two days use on a single charge. The hearing aids are powerful enough to treat up to severe hearing loss, but comparable in size to Pure, Signia’s best selling hearing device. Cellion was expected to have an IP68 rating and will be offered in the 7px and 5px performance levels.
Cellion’s battery is integrated and sealed into the housing, so users no longer have to deal with opening and closing tiny battery doors, or handling small batteries. Unlike some other lithium-ion and silver-zinc rechargeable hearing aids that work with older, galvanic charging technology through contacts, the new device has no charging contacts. This eliminates the need to align the hearing aid inside a charger. Once the hearing instruments are placed in the charger they turn themselves off automatically and immediately begin to charge. When the instruments are removed, the hearing aids automatically know to turn themselves back on.
The battery cell was claimed to provide up to 48mAh or 60% more energy than a standard size 13 rechargeable battery (30mAh). Cellion hearing aids are fully charged in four hours and ready to use for up to two days. A 30-minute powercharge feature enables for more than seven hours of use. The Li-ion battery will last several years and can be easily replaced by a hearing care professional.
The charger unit is also equipped with a standard micro USB interface that gives wearers the freedom to charge their hearing aids with nearly any USB compatible power source.
