Advanced Bionics Technology Focus Group - Part One

April 2010

Editor: The HLA-Carlsbad group had some folks from Advanced Bionics at their meeting on April 3. They conducted a Focus Group to get consumers' inputs on their implants and what they might like to see in the future, and there was lots of brainstorming on those ideas. Note that the discussion was not intended to represent any product development activities at AB.  The purpose was simply to hear from the perspective of existing CI users how AB could best address their needs going forward.

This is part one of two parts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The presenters from Advanced Bionics (AB) were Tracy Kruger, the Director of Product Marketing, and John Kerry, a Product Marketing Manager. They devoted the first part of the meeting to soliciting input from audience members. They were especially interested in the problems that people were having with their implants, and the kinds of things they'd like to see in the future.

One common complaint was concern about getting the processor wet. The first speaker was concerned about exercising with her implant on, and whether or not heavy perspiration could damage the processor.
\
A couple of other folks mentioned that it would be very nice to be able to swim with the processor in place. There ensued mention of current "home systems" that encase the processor in a waterproof covering, so that people can swim with it in place, and also thoughts about AB producing a true waterproof processor. The AB folks wanted to know if a separate waterproof processor would be ok, or if people would demand that their standard processor be waterproof? How about a waterproof case to place the processor in? Would that be ok? How about if it really didn't fit behind the ear very well, and had to be pinned to a piece of clothing or swimsuit?

A related concern was the effect of sand on the processor. Is it ok to wear it at the beach? What if it falls in the sand?

Another exerciser has problems with the processor falling off while jogging, and would like to see a more secure way to attach it.

One woman was concerned that insurance companies be required to pay for whatever kinds of improvements were developed, and this comment came up repeatedly throughout the discussion. She emphasized that new equipment doesn't do much good for those who can't afford to buy it.

One question the AB folks asked was if people would be ok with just a headpiece (nothing behind the ear)? If so, how big could it be? And how heavy? Would people be ok with having the microphone on the headpiece? How about if some sort of headband were required to hold it in place?

Another request was to put everything on a single earhook, rather than requiring users to switch earhooks to get Direct Audio Input or other features.

One person suggested that combining he case, charger, and plug into a single unit would make it a lot easier when traveling.

How about a GPS Chip and some telemetry in the processor to facilitate locating lost processors?

It would be great to have Bluetooth capability.

Another person wanted some sort of device she could wear while sleeping that would alert her to a smoke alarm or other alerting device.

You may know that Sonova now owns both AB and Phonak. I was happy to learn that engineers from the two companies are already working together to share existing technologies and to consider ways in which AB implants and Phonak hearing aids may work together in the future.

One idea that is already being considered is extending the Phonak DuoPhone feature to incorporate AB implants. (The DuoPhone automatically routes a telephone signal to both hearing aids, which can greatly improve speech comprehension. What is being considered is having a DuoPhone feature for people who have a Phonak hearing aid and an AB implant.)

This is just one application that can be made available by extending the iCom functionality to include AB implants. The iCom is a pendant worn around the neck that provides a wireless interface to Bluetooth, an FM system, or a telephone, and also has a jack to accept input using a 3.5 mm stereo cable input. The iCom currently communicates with bilateral Phonak hearing aids, and that capability could be extended to include AB implants. Doing so would provide access to all the interfaces provided by the iCom. But don't expect to see this for at least a couple of years.

One woman mentioned that she wears an AB implant and a Phonak hearing aid, and that there seems to be a slight, but annoying time delay between the sounds from them. Does anyone else have this problem, and is anyone working on it?

Another person mentioned that she also wears an implant on one side and a hearing aid on the other side, and she gets the low frequencies from the hearing aid and the high frequencies from the implant. One of the AB folks commented that with their current steering capability, they're able to stimulate areas of the cochlea beyond the location of the actual array and they expect to be able to expand the frequency range of the implant.

One person thought it would be nice to have the capability to have a fourth program, rather than the current three. A quick survey revealed that most people use only one or two programs, and only a very few use three.

The next query from the AB folks puzzled me a bit. They wanted to know, if people had to choose only one, would they prefer to have the kind of connectivity offered by the iCom, or would they rather have the capability for the two devices to talk to each other (for features like the DuoPhone). I don't understand why this has to be either/or. It seems to me that the obvious answer is to do both!