Download - Hearing aid past and future
BTE HEARING AID REFERENCE DESIGN
Mechanical switch
for program switching
Mechanical potentiometer
for program volume control
Microphone
Air conducting receiver
(speaker)
Telecoil – converts
electromagnetic
fields to electrical
energy (phones). R3110 DSP System
THE FUTURE OF LIP READING
Will your next hearing aids have cameras?
The AI Technology Involved
GN ReSound is one of three Danish hearing aid manufacturers
that have become some of the world's biggest suppliers of
hearing aid technology. They were first to market with a
made for iPhone hearing aid.
Their mission of “Life is on” means they aim to help people
with hearing loss to interact freely, communicate with
confidence, and live without limit. Phonak was founded in 1947
in Zurich. They are currently owned by the Sonova Holding AG
company.
Headquarted in Denmark, Widex boasts an entirely CO2-
Neutral building. They are a family-owned company founded
in 1956;
They are known for their groundbreaking computer modelling
and laser technology custom earpieces (CAMISHA shells), as
well as having the first fully digital in-the-ear hearing aid
Founded in Denmark in 1904 by Hans Demant to help his wife
Camilla who had a hearing impairment herself. Oticon was
later run by his son William Demant and is still owned by the
William Demant Holding Grouptoday
(Note: Sivantos was formally Siemens, which is now 1 of 2 Sivantos
brands, the other being Signia;
Siemens began in 1878 by Werner von Siemens after he developed
a telephone for people with hearing loss to better understand
conversation on the phone;
They are most well-known for releasing the first digital hearing aid
with two microphones (directional microphones), the first wireless
hearing aid, and more recently the first waterproof digital hearing
aid
Their philosophy “Hearing is our concern” began in 1967 with
founder William F. Austin. Starkey has a strong commitment to
philanthropy, donating to the Starkey Hearing Foundation every
time a Starkey hearing aid is purchased. Through this foundation,
they have given away over 1 million hearing aids to people around
the world.
Starkey is the only american-owned and operated hearing aid
provider
HEARING AID KEY PLAYERS SHARE
OVERVIEWKEY PLAYERS SHARE
Estimated Unit Market Share of Key Players
Market share: 4-8%
OTHERSMarket share: 7-10%
Market share: 21-25%
Sonova Group
Market share: 14-17%
William Demant Group
Market share: 10-14%
GN North
Market share: 14-16%
Market share: 18-21%
Sivantos
MARKET SEGMENTS
• Approx. 85-90% of market
• Global in scope
• Most have internal IC design teams
and consider their DSP as core
capability
• Starkey – open-programmable DSP
• GN ReSound – foundry services
Characteristics
Current engagements
• Offer peripheral ICs (memory, battery
management) and packaging services
as entry point
Engagement strategy
Key players
Tier 1 “Big 6”
• Approx. 5-6% of market, but high
value
• Regional in scope (except Panasonic)
• Some with internal algorithm
capabilities
• All – preconfigured DSP
• Rion & Panasonic – open-
programmable
Characteristics
Current engagements
• Sustain business with competitive
product offerings
Engagement strategy
Key players
Tier 2 “Little 6”
• Approx. 5% of market
• Smaller regional players and/or start-
ups
• Americas 30; Asia/Pac 25; EMEA 10
• Limited internal R&D capabilities
• Supply preconfigured DSP to most
Tier 3s directly or through distribution
via IntriCon (value-added reseller)
Characteristics
Current engagements
• Serve strategic few direct (high growth
potential especially in Asia)
• Migrate to distribution where possible
Engagement strategy
Key players
Tier 3
Hearing Aid Type
Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Types (75-80% of units sold)
Conventional BTE Receiver-In-Canal (RIC)
Mini-BTEInvisible-In-Canal
(IIC)Completely-In-Canal (CIC)
In-The-Canal (ITC)Full-, ¾-, Half- Shell
ITE
In-The-Ear (ITE) Types (20-25% of units sold)
TREND
Discrete and “invisible”Smaller RIC and new IIC styles more
popular with Baby Boom generation as they
begin to adopt hearing aids
Wireless communication
and connectivity
Current technologies: 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz and
Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) with
Bluetooth-capable relay device
Fully automatic and
‘intelligent’
Volume control and signal processing adapts
automatically to sound environment for
greater effectiveness and user comfort
Shift to 65 nm process
or below; Miniaturized
packaging techniques
Need for interoperability
and advanced
packaging techniques
Increasing processing
power and
sophistication of
algorithms
TRENDS IMPLICATIONS
Power consumption
Consume < than 1 mA
at ~1.25 V operating
voltage
Size
Multiple chips and
chip area < 10 mm2
Mixed-signal
Digital and analog
functionality
DESIGN CHALLENGES
HA BUSINESS MOMENTUM:
Over 5% of the population – 360 million people in the World,60 million in China;
Development Country 20% use HA,China:-5%
7.1 7.7 8.1 8.3 8.49.8 10.3
11.011.9
12.813.9
15.0
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Ind
ustr
y U
nit
Sale
s (
M)
MARKET SIZE AND GROWTH
Source: HIA Statistics and internal estimates
Key Drivers
• Aging populationPopulation growth and longer life expectancy
• Emerging marketsRising disposable income in China, India, Brazil and Eastern
Europe
• Hearing loss prevalenceDriven by noise exposure, diabetes, smoking
• Government policy support
• Transition time from Analog HA to Digital HA
2010-2015 CAGR estimated to be 6-8%
Golden Boomers Era
• Growth expected to accelerate as “baby boomers” hit retirement age (2012-2030)
• Challenge so far has been to get boomers to adopt hearing aids earlier (average age of first use remains at 69-70 despite efforts to encourage earlier adoption)
Key Facts
• 12.5% of children 6-19 have permanent hearing damage due to excessive noise exposure
• 18% of adults 45-64, 30% of adults 65-74, and 47% of adults 75+ are hearing impaired
• Price of premium hearing aid $3,000-$4,000 per device
SALES CHANNEL
Traditional Channel
Internet Sales
Hospital/ClinicPharmacy
Personal Sound Amplifiers (PSAPs)
FUTURE CONCEPT