Advanced Bionics Technology Update: Harmony the Sound of the Future

By Robert MacPherson

August 2006

Editor: For those who don't know Bob is the editor of the wonderfully informative email list called bhNEWS. Here are this thoughts on a recent online class he "attended".

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Hi all! I had the pleasure of attending an online class today presented by Advanced Bionics, hosted by Audiology Online. The course title:

Advanced Bionics Technology Update: Harmony the Sound of the Future

Presenting was Patricia Trautwein, Au.D, Manager of Professional Education and Training at Advanced Bionics Corporation

Dr Trautwein began with a brief overview of the cochlear implant and the criteria for candidacy and moved on to the explanation of currant steering in the HiRes90K and the new HiRes 120 processor software, and the benefits derived therefrom. We got to see the new Harmony, which is an upgrade of the Auria, and learned about it's new features including a built in T-coil and greatly extended battery life with the power-miserly new software.

Answering a question from the class, Dr. Trautwein stated that the commercial release of the HiRes120 software and the Harmony processor, both in final stages of clinical trials, is expected after the first of next year.

Dr. Trautwein briefly addressed the issue of backward compatibility for the Harmony, which will include the CII and HiRes90K implants.

But, I foresaw other related queries and asked Sandy Mintz, M.S.,CCC-A of AB for clarification and embellishment on compatibilty of earlier implants with the HIRes120 software. Here is her reply as edited for clarity:

"AB remains committed to making the Harmony BTE compatible with earlier (i.e, C1) internal implants. HiRes 120 will not be compatible with those earlier implants due to fundamental implant design differences. Nevertheless, AB is investigating the applicability and potential benefits of new processing strategies for these individuals."