According to EuroTrak, as of 2020, China’s hearing aid adoption rate is only 10%, and there is still a gap compared with Europe and the United States. To address this, Incus has launched a range of OTC hearing aids and smart personal sound amplifiers with brain-inspired hearing assistance algorithms and bone-vibration sensors. Incus recently launched receiver-in-the canal (RIC) hearing aids, which meet the needs of users with severe hearing loss and have received China NMPA medical device certification, in Mainland China.
Incus believes the way traditional hearing aids are sold and fitted are part of the reason for high prices and low adoption rates. “Taking the relatively mature North American market as an example, a significant portion of hearing aid prices comes from mark-up by sales channels to cover the cost of fitting services and overhead,” said Calvin Zhang, CEO and Founder of Incus. “Traditional hearing aids require a cumbersome process with multiple visits to a hearing aid technician for adjustments.”
Incus uses technology to modernise the fitting process and offer hearing devices at only 10% the price of comparable imported hearing aids: Incus hearing devices can be set up and fitted from the comfort of the user’s home using an accompanying smartphone app. Sensors installed in the devices continuously monitor the environment, so that the devices can adapt in real-time to let the wearer hear clearly and comfortably. The software and hardware designs as well as packaging and after-sales support are designed to tackle issues OTC hearing aid users might encounter, to deliver an excellent out-of-the-box user experience.
Incus’ products also stand out in terms of physical design. The current flagship product, Kite 2, has a stylish neckband form and looks like a consumer earphone to reduce stigma. Its design is especially convenient for seniors with reduced finger dexterity or vision.
Incus’ products are sold online, for example through the official website, as well as Jingdong and Douyin (Chinese TikTok), where the products have been the best-selling in the category. Incus has also developed its own offline stores and collaborates with offline sales partners, such as with high-end eyewear chain stores, which have a large overlap in customer demographics. Offline, more than 3 out of 4 people will purchase immediately after trying. “In Japan, about 15% of hearing aids are sold in optical stores,” said Calvin Zhang.
For the future, Incus plans to continue expanding its network of offline stores. It recently signed a cooperation agreement with a listed medical device company with plans to enter its stores, and collaborate in terms of research, training of personnel, and product certification. In addition, Incus plans to expand overseas to North America and Japan after establishing a foothold in the Chinese domestic market.
Shunxi Fund’s Investment Director, Zhao Yun, said: “With the aging population and a significant number of individuals experiencing hearing loss, the penetration rate of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids in China is far below the global average. The future market space for OTC hearing aids is enormous. Domestic startups are expected to leverage their advantages in rapid iteration of software and hardware development and a mature domestic supply chain to challenge the monopoly of overseas manufacturers. Based on the years of research and development achievements in the audio field by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the company possesses independent core technology in software and hardware, leading product performance, and has established a sales channel that combines online and offline. With the hard work of the team, we believe that Incus will grow into a leading company in the domestic audio industry.”
Ben Zhou, Partner at GRC, said: “We are delighted to see Incus once again receiving recognition from the capital market. With its precise market insights and strong technological execution, Incus has broken through industry barriers and introduced disruptive and innovative hearing solutions that benefit numerous individuals with hearing impairments. Since its establishment, Incus has demonstrated outstanding team execution and proven its exceptional ability in rapid product iteration within the hearing aid market. We firmly believe that Incus’ innovative design concept, with software as the core, will completely disrupt the market ecosystem of traditional hearing aids. It will showcase significant differentiation advantages and fulfil the company's vision of achieving hearing accessibility for the global hearing-impaired community.”
Founded in Hong Kong in 2016, Incus focuses on the research and development of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids and smart personal sound amplifiers. The founding team is from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and has many years of experience in hearing aid chips and algorithm development. Co-founder Professor Richard So is the Associate Dean of Engineering at HKUST, and has over three decades of research experience in the field of audio technology and over 40 papers published in top-tier journals. CEO Calvin Zhang holds a master’s degree from HKUST and has nearly 15 years of R&D experience in the audio field. He has authored several patents and journal papers. Co-founder Sigurd Anders Berg is from Norway and also graduated from HKUST.
]]>On 26th December, 2023, 36Kr held the Golden Age of Hard Technology Conference in Qianhai, Shenzhen, China. Incus’ CEO, Calvin Zhang, was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion titled “Technology x Talent: The Dao and Art.” The discussion was moderated by Chief Editor of 36Kr, Peng Xiaoqiu. Other participants included Xue Yao, founder and CEO of Future Brainwave Technology, and Bamboo Intelligence Technology co-founder and COO Wu Yanhua, Species Origin Technology’s CEO Lin Yuan, and Zhixing Research Institute’s Assistant Director and Investment Manager Liao Junhhao. The following is an excerpt of what Calvin Zhang said during the discussion.
Calvin Zhang: Hi everyone, my name is Calvin. I graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and am a co-founder of Incus. We make hearing aids. Do you know what trend has persisted for the past decade and will continue to do so? The trend of the Chinese population ageing. We observed that the global hearing aid market is still dominated by five Western brands. We hope to create affordable and accessible hearing devices for the Chinese market through semiconductor innovation and technological advancements.
Peng Xiaoqiu: Hardware entrepreneurship is different from software. It heavily relies on supply chains, branding, and distribution channels. As a founder, how do you tackle the complexities in these areas?
Calvin Zhang: Hardware, from product definition, to implementation, to reaching consumers, has a longer cycle. This makes it crucial to have a clear product definition from the onset. However, what we think consumers want may not actually be what they want. So it is important to align the product definition with what customers genuinely want.
Peng Xiaoqiu: We have looked into the hearing aid industry. There are relatively few domestic brands. With the recent push for domestic products to replace imports, domestic brands are emerging. How long will it take before domestic brands overtake overseas brands?
Calvin Zhang: Sales and distribution is a major pain point in our industry. The Big Five European and American brands have already established traditional channels to a certain scale in China. To overtake them, we’ll have to win in terms of channels. I have always maintained very high expectations and confidence in the Chinese market.
Besides, hearing aid semiconductor components are still predominantly controlled by major players from Europe and the United States. Given the relatively small volume of this product category (e.g. compare to smartphones), large semiconductor manufacturers are unlikely to prioritise the development of specialised hearing aid chips. So it falls upon the hearing aid manufacturers to do so. We need to work with the semiconductor manufacturers to innovate. Amid the wave of semiconductor development in China, we have also seized opportunities. One of our shareholders, Beken Corporation, has helped us design semiconductors. We believe that innovating at the semiconductor level is required in order to compete with the European and American manufacturers.
Peng Xiaoqiu: Chinese entrepreneurs are known to work extremely hard and compete fiercely. Mr. Zhang, how do you view the situation?
Calvin Zhang: I’ve found that Chinese are not afraid of hard work or to try to overtake the competition. Hard work is inevitable; it’s just a matter of which battles we pick. In hardware technology innovation, we need to find the right battlefields to enter. Identifying the specific areas to focus on is crucial to our success. For example, in our industry, we are focusing on overtaking the competitors in terms of semiconductor technology and distribution channels. These areas are ripe for innovation, and it is essential for us to excel in them to create greater value for consumers.
Peng Xiaoqiu: Is there anything in your industry that has left a deep impression on you?
Calvin Zhang: In 2023, numerous Chinese headphone manufacturers started to dip their toes in our industry. Since they come from a different industry, it is interesting to see their approaches and go-to-market strategies. The most significant impression we had in 2023 was the influx of these manufacturers trying to establish their presence in our industry. However, we have been observing them and wonder whether they are entering the market for the right reasons and with the right direction for expansion.
]]>Visit our booth under the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation pavilion to experience Kite 2 Smart Personal Sound Amplifier. The pavilion will be next to the Hall 1B entrance / exit of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. View the floorplan here.
Opening hours:
23 November 2023 (Thursday): 11:00am - 6:00pm
24-26 November 2023 (Friday-Sunday): 10:00am - 6:00pm
Remark: Last admission is 30 minutes before the daily closing time.
Jointly hosted by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and co-organised with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES), is the largest gerontechnology public education event in Hong Kong.
Since GIES was launched in 2017, it has solicited support and aroused attention from different parties. Not only the general public can explore and learn about various gerontechnology and solutions in GIES, the elderly and rehabilitation service sector is also mobilized and has become more willing to adopt gerontech. It also facilitates the development of several pilot services and projects.
Besides, GIES provides a platform drawing together stakeholders to engage in dialogue and collaboration for border adoption of gerontech. It further helps to drive policy changes as well as societal and economic developments in Hong Kong for meeting the challenge brought about by population ageing and disability.
]]>We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Optical 88, aiming to provide convenient access to hearing aids, just like obtaining eyeglasses, for the underserved population with hearing loss. With Optical 88's expertise in vision and hearing care, this partnership is a natural fit.
The Incus Kite 2 Smart Personal Sound Amplifier is now available for both experience and purchase at ten Optical 88 stores in the Guangdong province of Mainland China. The store staff has undergone comprehensive training to assist customers in setting up Kite 2. If any of the listed stores below are convenient for you, please feel free to contact them directly for a product experience.
In the initial stage of collaboration, Kite 2 is available at five stores in Guangzhou, three stores in Shenzhen and two stores in Foshan.
Founded in 1988, OPTICAL 88 has been rooted in Hong Kong for over 30 years and now owns the territory’s largest professional optical retail network. They state:
“We see your eyes as the key to soul and entrance to the world. With a mission to preserve the best moment in your life, we strive to guard your vision health.
We pursue perfection and excellence by enhancing our service and expanding the business over years. Other than the well-known eyewear retail business, we have established Professional Eyecare and Hearing Care Centres where various comprehensive examinations and assessments are designed for you and family of all ages, including Comprehensive Eye Examination, Myopia Control Consultation, Progressive Lens Experience and Hearing Assessment, etc.”
]]>The seminar, focusing on the medical and healthcare services industries, will take place on 31 October, 2023, 4-5PM (HKT). It will feature speakers and guests from the Nordics, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
The event is jointly organised by Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Nordic Innovation House (NIH), and Nordic Talk, with support from Business Finland and Business Sweden.
Mr. Berg’s keynote will address the topic “Gateway to Opportunity: Leveraging GBA Resources for Mainland China Expansion”.
Additionally, the seminar will include presentations by the following speakers:
We invite you to register for the webinar if you find the following event description relevant:
Advancement in digital health solutions now make cross boundary healthcare services possible. Join this webinar to explore unique digital health strategies employed in Nordic, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area regions. Gain insights into innovative approaches, technologies, and successful case studies. This webinar will offer a comprehensive understanding of digital health advancements in diverse contexts, empowering you to navigate the evolving landscape effectively. Expand your horizons in digital health. Don't miss this opportunity!
Register for the webinar here.
]]>Mr. Calvin Zhang, CEO and Founder of Incus, delivered a keynote address at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics Show on October 19th, 2023, held at the Asia-World Expo in Hong Kong.
The Global Sources Mobile Electronics Show is the world's largest export-focused sourcing fair for mobile electronics. It attracts foreign importers seeking cutting-edge technology and designs in mobile devices, smart wearables, portable speakers, charging products, and mobile accessories.
During his keynote entitled “The Sound of Change: How Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Are Transforming Hearing Care”, Calvin explained how Chinese consumers are underserved by the traditional hearing aid industry. He shared forecasts on how the domestic Chinese market will grow from approximately USD 1.2B in 2019 to USD 4.1B in 2028, largely due to the rise of over-the-counter devices.
Addressing a distinguished audience of foreign VIP buyers, Calvin highlighted the convergence of demographic trends, market dynamics, and technological advancements, which create an opportune moment to disrupt the conventional hearing aid industry. For example, advances in semiconductor technology has enabled Incus to integrate 28nm system-on-chips (SoCs) into its devices, which have ten times higher computing power than traditional hearing aids. Incus’ chips with high computing power support the deployment of smart algorithms and makes mass customization economically feasible in the new era of hearing aids, where performance is largely defined by software algorithms.
Lastly, Calvin drew attention to the global impact of hearing loss as a significant health issue, emphasizing that a vast majority of those in need lack access to hearing aids. Citing the WHO World Report on Hearing (2021), he stated that unaddressed hearing loss incurs an annual cost of USD 980 billion worldwide, and the prevalence of hearing loss is projected to increase in every region by 2050.
For partnership opportunities with China's fastest-growing hearing device brand, please contact us.
]]>Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are purchased without a prescription (as opposed to traditional prescription hearing aids).
In the United States, hearing aids required a prescription (or a waiver) until 2022. To make hearing aids more accessible to the population (average price is US$ 4,600/pair), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a category of over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.
The new rule came into effect in October 2022.
The OTC hearing aid rule will have widespread impacts on consumers worldwide, despite its legal effect being limited to the United States. In short, the new rule is a first-of-its-kind performance standard, and will make hearing aids cheaper and more accessible, and stimulate innovation.
While hearing aids had already been available without prescription in many countries, there were no standards defining what features a good OTC hearing device should include or which technical specifications it should have.
Among other, the OTC hearing aid rule specifies output limits, electroacoustic performance limits and design requirements.
These requirements raise the bar, which means consumers will benefit from better and safer products being available in the market.
Hearing aids have traditionally been sold through offline channels like hearing aid dispensers and audiologists. These channels were almost exclusively occupied by the Big Five. The Big Five are corporations accounting for up to 99% of all hearing aids sold across a multitude of brands they own.
The traditional channels would sell their products either because they were outright owned by the Big Five, or because their brands could charge the highest premiums, resulting in high margins for the hearing aid dispensers.
This means the traditional channels would not necessarily sell the best products. And if new entrants made better products, the Big Five would deploy various tactics to throttle their access to channels and limit their success in the market.
Now that hearing aids can be sold over-the-counter, it means they can be sold in big box retailers and over the internet. Through such channels it is finally possible for innovative products to reach the consumer.
The OTC hearing aid rule will result in cheaper hearing aids through two main mechanisms: Unbundling and competition.
Unbundling: Hearing aids were traditionally sold in a bundle of product + services. The services would for instance include follow-up visits to make adjustments to the device. As a customer, you would pay upfront for the whole package, which is how we arrived at average prices of US$ 4,600/pair.
Unfortunately, millions of consumers have overpaid because of these bundling tactics.
Think about it: As a consumer, what monetary value would you attach to the services? Would you even use the services you pre-paid for?
And would the hearing aid dispenser not have higher profits if you did NOT visit often?
It is similar to how gyms’ business models rely on overly optimistic consumers with new year resolutions signing up for annual packages - if all the gym members actually showed up, the gym would not be able to accommodate them!
Now that hearing aids are available over-the-counter, consumers can purchase the devices they want unbundled and later seek professional services on a needs-basis.
Competition: As it is now viable for new entrants to reach the consumer, both incumbents and innovators must set reasonable prices and offer better products to be competitive in the market.
Consumers worldwide should now demand that OTC products they purchase can meet the standard created by the FDA.
Although the rule came into force as recently as October 2022, there are already products in the market that can meet the requirements.
And although the rule is only effective within the US, some innovators have already made their OTC devices available in other regions.
In Hong Kong, for example, the sale of hearing aids does not require a prescription.
As mentioned, the FDA’s OTC hearing aid requirements introduce, among other, requirements for output limits, electroacoustic performance limits and design requirements.
Incus, a Hong Kong local hearing aid brand spun-off from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has already launched a product satisfying those requirements: Kite 2.
Here are the detailed requirements and how Incus’ Kite 2 meets them:
Because OTC hearing aids are intended for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss and can be set up without a hearing instrument specialist, the FDA has set upper limits to how loud the sounds they output can be.
Depending on the technology level of the OTC hearing aid, there are two alternative version of the limit:
(1) General output limit. An OTC hearing aid shall not exceed an output limit of 111 dB SPL at any frequency except as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
(2) Output limit for a device with activated input-controlled compression. An OTC hearing aid that has input controlled compression activated shall not exceed an output limit of 117 dB SPL at any frequency.
Incus’ Kite 2 features activated input-controlled compression, and its maximum output level is limited to 105 dB SPL, which is well below 117 dB SPL.
Simply put, the FDA set electroacoustic performance limits to ensure that OTC hearing aids have acceptable sound quality.
Electroacoustic performance limit 1: Output distortion control limits. Test the output distortion of the OTC hearing aid as follows to ensure that it does not exceed the limit specified in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) through (iii) of this section.
(i) The total harmonic distortion plus noise shall not exceed 5 percent for output levels within one of the following sets of levels, depending on the test method:
(A) Using sine wave-based testing, measure at 70 dB SPL and 100 dB SPL;
Or
(B) Using a 500-hertz (Hz) one-third octave pulsed-noise signal, measure at 67 dB SPL and 97 dB SPL.
(ii) You must measure the total harmonic distortion using a 500-Hz input tone with an analyzer that has a bandwidth at least as wide as the frequency limits of the OTC hearing aid.
(iii) You must measure the output distortion at the OTC hearing aid’s maximum volume and the input sound level to the OTC hearing aid adjusted to produce the required outputs
Distortion is a common measure for sound quality. It refers to the phenomenon where the output signal contains additional frequency components that are not present in the original signal.
Distortion degrades the sound quality, and when there is distortion it will will sound unnatural or noisy.
Distortion can be caused by the hearing aid’s electronic components or the audio signal processing algorithms used.
We measured Kite 2’s harmonic distortion to be less than 1% - significantly lower than the upper limit of 5%.
Electroacoustic performance limit 2: Self-generated noise level limits. Self-generated noise shall not exceed 32 dBA. You must disable any methods that artificially lower the apparent noise floor for the measurement. Such methods would include but are not limited to auto-muting and downward expansion.
Electric currents pass through electronic devices, and these translate into noise. If the internal noise in a hearing aid is too loud, it will interfere with the wearer’s ability to hear clearly. The FDA has set a limit of 32 dBA.
We measured the equivalent input noise of Kite 2 to be 27 dBA - 5 dBA lower than the upper limit.
Electroacoustic performance limit 3: Latency. Latency shall not exceed 15 ms. You must measure the latency with a method that is accurate and repeatable to within 1.5 ms.
Latency is the time it takes from when an external sound reaches the hearing aid until the processed sound is output into the wearer’s ear.
If the latency is too long, the wearer will notice that there is a delay between when a person moves their mouth until they can hear the speech. The FDA states that 4 out of 9 people can notice a delay of 25 ms.
The delay could also be noticed as an echo, and it could even degrade the sound quality.
Some latency is necessary, however, because the hearing aid has to process the sounds in sophisticated ways to reduce noise and make the speech more clear to the wearer.
The FDA requires that this delay is no longer than 15ms (0.015s).
We tested the latency of Kite 2, which clocked in at about 8ms - safely within the FDA’s limit.
Electroacoustic performance limit 4: Frequency response bandwidth. The lower cutoff frequency shall extend to 250 Hz or below, and the upper cutoff frequency shall extend to 5 kHz or greater. You must measure the frequency response bandwidth as specified in the Method for clause 4.1 in ANSI/CTA–2051:2017.
While humans can hear up to 20,000 Hz (20kHz), the most important frequencies are between 250 Hz and 5kHz. The FDA therefore requires that OTC hearing aids at least cover this range.
We measured the bandwidth of Kite 2 and found it is 200 Hz to 6kHz, which means it covers the required range (and then some!).
Electroacoustic performance limit 5: Frequency response smoothness. No single peak in the one-third-octave frequency response shall exceed 12 dB relative to the average levels of the onethird- octave bands, two-thirds octave above and below the peak. You must measure the frequency response smoothness using values for a diffuse field and the corrected one-third-octave frequency insertion response as specified in the Method for clause 4.1 in ANSI/CTA–2051:2017.
The FDA requires that the sound from an OTC hearing aid is smooth in the sense that there are no sudden peaks or dips in loudness across the frequency range.
This requirement is related to how natural the hearing aid will sound, and how comfortable it will be to listen to.
We measured Kite 2’s frequency response and confirmed that it is smooth, indicating the algorithms are well-engineered and that the device provides clear, natural sound.
Electroacoustic performance limit 6: Acoustic coupler choice. Where applicable, use one of the following acoustic couplers to measure electroacoustic performance:
(i) When compatible with the device design, a 2-cubic centimeter (cm3) acoustic coupler; or
(ii) When a 2-cm3 acoustic coupler is not compatible with the device design, an acoustic coupler that is a scientifically valid and technically equivalent alternative. You must document the rationale for using an alternative acoustic coupler.
When testing Kite 2, we used a so-called 2cc coupler. This is a standard piece of equipment which helps ensure that measurements are repeatable and accurate.
The FDA has also formulated several requirements for the physical design of an OTC hearing aid.
Design requirement 1: Insertion depth. The design of an OTC hearing aid shall limit the insertion of the most medial component so that, when inserted, the component is reasonably expected to remain at least 10 millimeters (mm) from the tympanic membrane.
This requirement is designed to prevent damage caused by objects touching the eardrum (tympanic membrane).
Traditional receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids are inserted deeply into the ear canal. The FDA requires that nothing comes closer than 10 mm from the eardrum.
Kite 2’s earpiece is similar to that of a consumer earphone. The silicon eartips are not deeply inserted into the ear canal so there is no risk of the eartips reaching the eardrum.
Design requirement 2: Use of atraumatic materials. The material for the eartip of an OTC hearing aid shall be atraumatic.
Kite 2’s eartips are ear-conforming and skin-friendly, made from soft silicone, and they have passed biocompatibility testing by a third-party laboratory to ensure they do not cause adverse reactions.
Kite 2's eartips are skin-friendly and passed biocompatibility tests by a third-party laboratory
Design requirement 3: Proper physical fit. The design of an OTC hearing aid shall enable consumers to readily achieve a safe, customized, acoustically favorable, and comfortable physical fit in the ear canal and/or external ear.
Kite 2 comes with three sizes of eartips, allowing the wearer to find a comfortable physical fit. The eartips let air pressure escape via a proprietary venting mechanism to avoid a stuffed feeling while lowering ambient noise, prevenint acoustic feedback and yielding rich sound across the range.
Design requirement 4: Tools, tests, or software. The OTC hearing aid shall, through tools, tests, or software, permit a lay user to control the device and customize it to the user’s hearing needs.
It is important that hearing devices are adjustable to the user’s unique hearing needs. For example, if someone suffers from high-frequency hearing loss, they should receive more amplification at those frequencies, rather than a flat boost across the whole range.
There are various ways to let the wearer customize the sounds from their hearing device. Incus has opted for perhaps the ideal method: An app-based hearing test.
The device is set up by completing a hearing test in the accompanying app Yinbei.
After the hearing test, sounds are personalised to the wearer’s unique profile.
Kite 2 will remember the hearing test result, so it is optional to use the app after the initial setup.
Design requirement 5: User-adjustable volume control. The OTC hearing aid shall have a user adjustable volume control.
Wearers will have different preferences for how loud they like the volume, and the preference will even vary across different scenarios.
In some cases, the volume could also be uncomfortably loud.
Therefore, the FDA requires that OTC hearing aids include volume controls that the user can operate by themselves according to their preference.
Kite 2 has physical buttons for volume control
Kite 2 has volume control buttons with tactile indicators on the device itself. This lets the wearer distinguish between the volume up/down buttons just by feeling the symbols with their finger before pressing.
Design requirement 6: Adequate reprocessing. If the OTC hearing aid is used or rebuilt, it must be adequately reprocessed for the next user prior to sale.
Due to hygiene issues, the FDA has requirements for how returned items should be handled before they are resold.
Incus’ customer service was asked how they handle returned items. They explained that the devices are disinfected, the software is reset to factory settings, and eligible devices are repackaged in sealed packaging before resale. Refurbished items are advertised as such.
Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids can be purchased without prescription and are intended for use by adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. The OTC rule is effective within the US, but hard-of-hearing worldwide will benefit from this first-of-its-kind performance standard, which will make hearing aids cheaper and more accessible, and stimulate innovation.
With the new rule, the FDA has defined requirements for output limits, electroacoustic performance limits and design requirements, among other. Already, there are products available in the market meeting these requirements, such as Kite 2 by Incus.
]]>We are excited to announce that firmware version 16 for Kite 2 is now available through over-the-air (OTA) update!
The update can be installed free of charge through the Yinbei app.
To get the most out of your Kite smart personal sound amplifier, we recommend that you install OTA updates once they become available. You will be notified within the Yinbei app when a new OTA update is released.
Step 1: Establish a Bluetooth connection between Kite and Yinbei.
Step 2: Check if there is a prompt stating there is a new update available.
Step 3: Download and install the update by selecting “Update” and following the instructions within Yinbei.
During the update…
Reason 1: The most recent firmware version is already installed on Kite.
Solution 1: No action needed – stay tuned for future updates!
Reason 2: No internet connection.
Solution 2: Ensure that your phone has an active internet connection and restart Yinbei.
Solution: Restart Kite and Yinbei to resume or retry the update.
]]>Incus’ patented audio signal separation technology has received a Silver Medal Award from the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. The Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions has become the world’s most prestigious event devoted exclusively to inventions.
The audio signal separation technology involves real-time separation of audio sources in complex environments. After separation, target speech signals can be enhanced and noise can be reduced, resulting in clearer audio.
The technology was invented by Professor Richard So and Mr. Calvin Zhang, and this recognition is a testament to their hard work and innovative capabilities.
Our team is committed to continuing to push the boundaries of hearing technologies and developing solutions that benefit the hard-of-hearing.
We would like to thank the jury for this honor, and HKUST for facilitating our participation in the event.
]]>We're thrilled to see our products on the shelves of some of the most reputable pharmacies in the city.
The store addresses and contact information are as follows:
District | Store name and phone number | Address |
Nanhai |
康君圣药业 13710577284 0757-86226276 |
广东佛山市南海区桂城南南五路南海体育馆副馆首层东南方之二 |
Nanhai |
中天药业(保康堂药房) 13923196598 |
广东佛山市南海区桂城街道南桂东路诚信米业旁 保康堂药房 |
Nanhai | 怡景堂药店 18998354368 | 广东佛山市南海区南约第二住宅 怡景堂药店 |
Nanhai |
清雅堂药店(桂城分店) 13392273459 |
广东佛山市南海区夏西大道西37号 清雅堂药 |
Nanhai |
鸿博大药房(石肯分店) 18902412605 |
广东佛山市南海区桂城街道石肯教育路75号商铺 |
Chancheng |
一宝堂大药房(星海岸分店) 0757-83079269 |
广东佛山市禅城区港口路26号P47,P48号铺 |
Chancheng |
禅芝康药房(百草药店) 0757-82204898 |
广东佛山市禅城区普君大厦(普君北路地铁口B口步行310米) |
Chancheng |
福森药店 13534210945 |
广东佛山市禅城区里水教子村东便大街14号首层 |
Chancheng |
一宝堂大药房(济生堂分店) 0757-83079269 |
广东佛山市禅城区普祥路8号普君新城步行街P26号 |
Chancheng |
明安堂药店 18923228137 |
广东佛山市禅城区东升内街2号首层 |
Starting from 23rd March 2023, we can accept payment by Octopus card
This is in addition to our existing payment methods: Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, American Express, Alipay HK, WeChat Pay, FPS and UnionPay.
To make an online purchase using Octopus card, select the option at checkout and follow the payment instructions emailed to you.
You can also pay by Octopus card at two offline locations in Hong Kong with prior appointment:
HohoLife (Tsuen Wan) (Please make appointment directly with HohoLife)
Phone No +852 3568 5193
Incus Hong Kong Office (Science Park) (English only)
WhatsApp +852 3613 0538
]]>We are excited to announce that we have added new payment methods to our website to make it more convenient to purchase our products. In addition to the previous payment options like Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay and American Express, we now also accept the following four new payment methods:
To use any of these new payment methods, simply select the option at checkout and follow the prompts to complete your purchase.
Please note the new payment options are only available for customers paying in Hong Kong Dollars.
]]>Professor Richard So, one of Incus’ founders, delivered a talk entitled “Gerontechnology: Smart Hearing & Contact-less Health Monitoring” on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Central Library in Hong Kong.
His hour-long talk was part of an event series called “Subject Talk on Cosmopolitan Hong Kong”. This installation of the series was entitled “Bringing Well-being to Life,” and was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries and Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee.
His segment on Smart Hearing was divided into three main topics:
Professor So let the audience experience demonstrations of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal cochlear compression, and loss of normal resistance to noise to understand the intricacies of hearing loss.
In his talk, Professor So introduced three ways in which technology can help:
In his closing remarks, Professor So extended his gratitude to the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of the Innovation and Technology Commission, The Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission, and The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
]]>Hyperacusis is a disorder where our ears have increased sensitivity to loud sounds, so they are often perceived as stronger than usual. The result is a lower tolerance for sounds. The sounds triggering negative reactions can be something as common as environmental or background sounds like traffic or human voices.
In most situations, people with healthy hearing do not usually perceive unimportant sounds like air-conditioning and footsteps. However, to a hyperacusis patient, these sounds are much louder, and can even be painful to hear. The situation becomes worse when the patient perceives sudden and high-pitched sounds such as screeches, airhorn sounds, or even their own voice.
The constant pain and stress due to hyperacusis can cause a handful of other problems. Because of the irritating environmental noise, patients may avoid conversation, causing isolation and social withdrawal. If the disorder deteriorates, the patient might even develop phonophobia, a fear of sound.
Now that we have a good understanding of hyperacusis, let’s move on to the causes of hyperacusis.
There are many causes of hyperacusis, including:
If you have experience with the above causes, you might want to check and see if you have the symptoms of hyperacusis.
Here are the signs and symptoms of hyperacusis:
All the above signs and symptoms contribute to hyperacusis. If you are experiencing one or more of the above symptoms, you should consult audiologists or doctors as soon as possible.
Hyperacusis can also be associated with other hearing health conditions. One of the associations is with hearing loss, which brings even more inconvenience and problems for hearing loss patients.
A person can have both hyperacusis and hearing loss at the same time.
Hearing loss is usually treated with hearing aids, which make sounds louder. So what happens if a patient also has hyperacusis?
It’s quite complicated. You want to be able to hear soft sounds like a soft voice or environmental noise with the amplification of the hearing aid, but at the same time, you don’t want it to amplify loud noise because you are sensitive to loud noise due to hyperacusis.
Those patients should seek help from audiologists to tune their hearing aids. Even though hearing aids can be customized, audiologists can make sure that the ranges of sounds amplified are the best fit for them.
To do this, they will carefully locate the patient’s Uncomfortable Loudness Level (UCL), which is the point where sounds are too loud. They may also take the Most Comfortable Loudness (MCL) into account.
The range between the hearing threshold (the lower barrier for perceiving speech) and the UCL can be very narrow for those with hyperacusis.
However, in daily life and communication, the fluctuations in volume carry important information helping us perceive the world. With a narrow range for sound to fluctuate within, some information is lost, and it is challenging to fit hearing aids well to this problem.
Knowing how many negative impacts hyperacusis brings, we should always pay attention to our hearing conditions, and seek help from professionals upon noticing abnormalities in sounds for an early diagnosis and treatment.
]]>To understand why men, on average, are more likely to have hearing loss than women, we should first know about the most frequent cause of hearing loss: noise-induced hearing loss.
As its name suggests, this type of hearing loss is caused by noise. Constant and excess - or a short yet extremely loud - exposure to noise damages the auditory nerves in the inner ear, which may result in NIHL.
Noise is inevitable, both during work and leisure.
While most people have encountered loud noise, they may not be aware of having hearing loss.
While it is true that more than half of the hearing loss among babies is genetic, and hearing loss can be caused by genetic causes like heredity and mutations, NIHL is not associated with our genetic code.
Exposure to loud noise remains the most common cause of hearing loss, as loud noises are everywhere. Even the sound from a bus driving past or a busy restaurant can cause damage to your ears, which we hear almost every day.
Tip: If you have experienced loud noises, and are concerned about your hearing ability, you should always seek a thorough evaluation from a hearing care professional. Meanwhile, you can look for signs of hearing loss.
Not convinced that occupational and lifestyle choices are causing different hearing loss prevalence between men and women?
Let us take a closer look at the data.
The working environments associated with some jobs are extremely noisy.
For instance, let us compare the noise level between an office and a construction site.
Needless to say, the construction site (80-90 dB) is much noisier than the office (45-60 dB).
While personal protection equipment (PPE) can protect the hearing of the construction workers from the noise, workers would often choose to not use it as they found it uncomfortable. They are also confident about their work, so safety is not a concern for them. Most importantly, the regulation regarding this issue is ambiguous, and there is no clear line of the requirement for wearing PPE.
Thus, it is obvious that a construction worker is more likely to suffer from hearing loss than a clerk.
From the data, we can observe that some jobs have a skewed male-female ratio.
Again, let’s take the workforce for elementary construction in 2021 as a reference. The ratio of male to female construction workers is roughly 32:1.
Besides construction, other occupations with an extremely noisy working environment like pilots, farmers, and drivers are also dominated by men.
Therefore, it is no surprise that more men suffer from hearing loss, and that hearing loss is associated with their jobs.
Of course, there are exceptions.
Teaching, an occupation that is more dominated by women, also has a noisy working environment of around 85 dB. But given that majority of the high-risk jobs are male-dominated, it makes women suffer less from hearing loss than men.
Yet, career choice is only one of the many factors. Besides occupation, lifestyle choices can also pose negative impacts on our hearing.
Similar to occupations, the environmental noise during leisure activities also varies.
Let’s take reading a book in a quiet room and going to a nightclub for a comparison.
The former is at around 30 dB while the latter, can have noise high up to 110 dB, which is even louder than a construction site, so it increases the chance of getting hearing loss.
Again, there isn’t a clear phenomenon of differences between the lifestyles of the genders, but men’s lifestyles also happened to be louder than women’s.
For instance, men like to drive motorcycles for leisure. The engine roars while going full speed are a threat to our hearing, clocking in at 100-115 dB
Drawing, a hobby that is more preferred by women than men, produces little to no noise. With the low decibels, the risk of getting hearing loss also becomes low.
It makes sense for people to do activities that the other genders prefer, but there is a general idea that ‘more masculine’ activities tend to make more noise.
A research found that the ratio of women to men for watering flowers is 52:0, and the ratio of women to men for driving a car is 1:4.
While watering flowers make very little noise, driving an automobile can produce noise at 60-75+ dB depending on your speed.
This shows that males’ preferred activities are typically noisier than women’s, and a noisier lifestyle increases the risk of getting hearing loss.
However, as the world is becoming noisier, the differences between male and female hearing loss prevalence may be extinguished.
Have you ever noticed the loud noise around you? Especially when staying in cities?
Maybe we have a quiet occupation and lifestyle, but it is impossible to avoid noise exposure. The phone’s ringtones, frequent constructions, and busy traffic all make noises that can cause hearing loss.
While traffic causes many noise problems like noise pollution, and people are aware of the impacts of noise on hearing, it is illogical to abandon either one of them.
The slightest we can do is to protect our hearing in our daily lives. We should avoid going near noisy places like construction sites as much as we can. We should also avoid noisy activities like going to a nightclub. If the noise is not avoidable, we should wear protective gear to protect our hearing.
With noise problems getting more severe, it’s only a matter of time before we start losing hearing. Therefore, we must stop hearing from deteriorating before it’s too late.
The world is getting noisier. With that said, the goal becomes protecting our hearing. Knowing that everyone may get hearing loss at some point, it is still crucial to stay away from the noise as much as we can to prolong the periods with healthy hearing. Working quietly and living quietly is a good direction, but checking our hearing regularly is also crucial.
]]>A solid understanding of what tinnitus is is the first step toward treating it.
Tinnitus is often perceived as ringing in the ear, which makes patients feel annoyed, anxious, and unable to sleep and focus. Sometimes, the tinnitus comes in the form of humming, hissing, roaring, screeching, buzzing or clicking sounds.
The common causes of tinnitus include ageing, exposure to loud noise, drug intoxication and chronic ear disorder, with ageing being the most prominent cause due to age-related hearing loss.
Sometimes, we can temporarily experience tinnitus.
That could happen when, for example, taking a flight, riding an escalator or hiking.
In these cases, the tinnitus will usually subside after completing the activity, and there is no need to be concerned.
If you have long-term tinnitus symptoms and your daily life has been deeply affected, please seek medical help immediately, and pay attention to the following four points to help the healthcare professional understand the situation:
Most people who suffer from permanent tinnitus will habituate to it. Habituation refers to the process of becoming used to certain emotions or feelings. It is analogous to how when we first wear our clothes in the morning, we can feel them touch our skin, but within a short amount of time, our brain will start to ignore them, because it realises that these stimuli are not relevant.
Habituation is one of the most common outcomes of tinnitus. When applied to tinnitus, habituation means our mind gradually gets used to the feeling of tinnitus to a point where we no longer perceive or are bothered by the sounds.
Around 80% of people with tinnitus successfully habituate.
Typically, it takes around one year to reach habituation.
While most people with tinnitus eventually habituate, it is important to seek out the cause and severity as soon as possible, so that proper treatment could be given.
When treating tinnitus, it is important to keep the following concept in mind:
We should treat tinnitus as a symptom. The aim is to reduce the symptoms, rather than treating tinnitus as a disease or trying to cure it.
Besides, there is no universal way to treat tinnitus. One treatment method may work well for some but not be effective for other people.
There are many treatments for tinnitus. Here are eight of the treatments and how they work.
Speaking of therapies, sound therapy can also be applied in treating tinnitus, which is a more relaxing and effortless way of dealing with tinnitus.
Sound therapy involves exposing the patient to passive auditory stimuli, by listening to music continuously until the brain ignores tinnitus. After some time, patients can try to pay attention to the tinnitus for a while and then resume focusing on the music.
The purpose of this repetition is to divert attention away from the tinnitus, so the patient would get the ability to shift attention from tinnitus to other things at any time while allowing the brain to adapt tinnitus as a background sound. This way, the patient may become able to actively suppress or even ignore other inadvertent sounds.
While tinnitus is often treatable, we should still prioritise protecting our ears. Ageing, prolonged exposure to loud noise, drug intoxication and chronic ear disorders are the main causes of tinnitus. We need to make sure that we are hearing well and clear, and seek help from healthcare professionals when noticing persistent tinnitus or hearing problems, so that treatments could be given in time.
]]>It has been proven that socialization is associated with health. US scientists have found that individuals who establish good interpersonal relationships are 50% less likely to die prematurely compared to those with poor interpersonal relationships.
But how exactly does socializing improve our health?
In short, there are three mechanisms through which socialization can affect health.
A wide range of individual behaviours can affect health, morbidity and mortality. Social connections instill care which can protect our health and the others. For instance, spouses can contribute to their partner's health through monitoring, suppressing, regulating, or performing healthy behaviours.
Refers to psychosocial concerns and sociology. In this respect, people who are socially active may have clearer purposes or goals in life than those who are inactive, leading to improved physical and mental health.
Being involved in social activities has deep effects on the body and can affect how the body functions. Supportive interactions with others improve immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular functions. A supportive social environment can reduce the severity of stress, which has adverse effects on coronary arteries, insulin levels, and the immune system.
These mechanisms demonstrate the association between socialization and health, in a way that socailizing is healthy for us, but how exactly does it benefit us?
It goes without saying that improving your social skills is important. Being social can benefit you in several ways:
Of course, socializing is not a must. However, shying away from it could cause negative impacts to both your physical health and mental health.
People who failed to establish interpersonal relationships well tend to have higher levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, which can be detrimental to health. The possibility of dementia and depression would also increase as you get older.
Dementia is one of the brain diseases which causes long-term and gradual deterioration of thinking ability and memory and affects basic function. Common symptoms include emotional problems, language problems, and reduced mobility.
While depression refers to a mood disorder. It may be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities. People experience depression in different ways. It may interfere with your daily work, resulting in lost time and lower productivity. It can also influence relationships and some chronic health conditions.
A good interpersonal relationship can make people feel happy and increase white blood cells that can improve immunity. People who never participated in social activity tend to imagine how people will interact with them and how they can respond constantly, resulting in anxiety and pressure. It can be overcome by attending small gatherings.
Though, socializing is not an easy task. Besides needing the confidence to talk, it requires the ability to listen, and to interpret what the speaker is presenting so that you can give a response.
Then the question becomes: how does one socialize or communicate when they can’t hear well?
The ability to hear enables us to connect to the world. Most importantly, hearing connects us to people to communicate in a way that none of our other senses can achieve.
Forming strong interpersonal relationships requires us to be able to comprehend speech.
Consider the feeling of an in-person interaction compared to that of a conversation through texting or email.
An in-person interaction is more engaging and allows us to more efficiently form social bonds.
For someone with an untreated hearing loss, it is harder to get the same benefits from an oral conversation. Without good hearing in both ears, understanding what a person is saying requires more concentration and could be exhausting, especially if several people are talking or there's background noise.
Untreated hearing loss often causes friction in conversation. This friction is for example when someone is asked to repeat themselves or “drops out” of the conversation.
It can also come in the form of the person with hearing loss talking too soft or too loud: Since they can’t hear themselves, they do not know whether the volume they are speaking at is appropriate.
Misunderstandings are common. The inability to hear certain words or sounds correctly easily results in wrong interpretation.
In fact, hearing loss not only affects one’s ability to understand others, but also one’s own speech.
The reason is that if we cannot hear our own voice well, we won’t be able to self-adjust when we have slurred speech or speak too loudly.
If you find that the people who are communicating with you have difficulty listening to speech while they are not using any hearing device, you could encourage them to have an evaluation of their hearing ability and consider whether the use hearing aids or amplifiers could help.
Some high-tech hearing amplifiers include technologies such as speech separation, intelligent noise reduction, customised sound and bluetooth streaming etc. Incus is one of the companies to provide a smart personal sound amplifier which empowers people to stay connected through conversations.
Interpersonal relationships will become our valuable assets through our growth and continuous learning rather than a burden. Communication is an important skill in socialisation. People with hearing impaired could lose communication skills which affects their social health. Learn more by reading how to protect your hearing health.
]]>The occlusion effect occurs when low-frequency sounds are trapped within your ear canals. Tightly-fitting earplugs, earphones or hearing aids can partially or fully block your ear canals. The blockage prevents sounds from escaping the ear and causes them to bounce around in the ear canal, eventually reaching your eardrums and causing you to hear hollow and booming sounds for a while.
But where do the sounds that end up getting trapped originate?
If you are wearing earplugs or earphones, the sounds are caused by vibrations in the skull when chewing, swallowing, walking, or talking. Sometimes, the cause could even be your heartbeats.
If you are wearing hearing aids, they will feed amplified sounds into your ears. Because hearing aids are inserted deeply into the ear and produce loud sounds, it is common to feel occluded when wearing them.
While the occlusion effect is a common culprit causing us to be uncomfortable with the sound of our own voice, it is not the only cause.
Occlusion may not be the only cause of your own voice sounding unnatural.
If you are wearing hearing aids with amplification functions, the amplification might interrupt your ability to tune the volume of your own voice.
Because the microphones on hearing aids are close to your mouth, your voice will produce a strong signal. If your hearing aids indiscriminately amplify your voice as if it was someone else's, it will sound overwhelmingly loud and unnatural. At the same time, other people will not hear you clearly if you do not speak loudly enough.
Sometimes, experiencing both amplification and occlusion simultaneously is referred to as amplusion (amplification + occlusion).
If you remain sensitive to low-frequency sounds but suffer from a relatively large hearing loss at high frequencies, then you are at risk of a more severe and annoying feeling of occlusion.
Starting from the understanding that the occlusion effect is a sign of sounds trapped in the ear canal, there are various ways to reduce the occlusion effect or manage the discomfort it causes depending on what type of device you are using:
Besides, you may try the following tips regardless of what device you have:
As mentioned, hearing aid wearers often experience amplusion, referring to the effects of simultaneous occlusion and amplification of their own voice. Hearing aid wears often complain about hearing their own voice too loudly, and do not like the effects hearing aids can have on their own voice, such as distortion.
Researchers at Incus have invented a new technology to automatically reduce the perceived loudness of your own voice. Knowing that the bones surrounding the ear canal will vibrate slightly when you are talking, they have placed vibration sensors in the earpiece of the hearing device to detect your speech.
Their novel algorithms sense when you are speaking, and by comparing the signals picked up by the vibration sensors to the sounds in the environment (picked up by omnidirectional air-conduction microphones), they are able to reduce the volume of your own voice without negatively impacting your ability to hear others.
This technique, which the researchers call Own Voice Cancellation, works automatically with high accuracy and is especially useful for first-time users who are trying to get used to what it feels like to suddenly hear the world clearly. Own Voice Cancellation is now available to be experienced in their latest hearing device.
Researchers at Incus also learnt that hearing aid wearers would report their ears feeling clogged, especially with new hearing aids equipped with closed-fit eartips or earmolds. Some manufacturers provide eartips without occlusion effect with open or vented designs, but those have drawbacks.
When using open or vented eartips, hearing aids become prone to producing acoustic feedback (howling or screeching sounds), which either leads to an unbearable experience or forces the wearer to greatly reduce the volume, in which case they cannot hear clearly.
Besides, the wearer may not be able to enjoy low-frequency sounds, such as the bass in music, because the energy would leak out rather than reach the eardrum.
The researchers at Incus realised that existing eartip designs involved trade-offs: comfort vs sound quality.
Being experts in acoustics, they hypothesized it would be possible to carefully design eartips that are comfortable without sacrificing sound quality.
They went through countless iterations, testing different materials and venting mechanisms. Prototypes were distributed. Ears were measured. Surveys were completed.
At last, they arrived at what they call Hybrid Eartips: ear-conforming and skin-friendly eartips with superior wearing comfort and a secure fit. These eartips let air pressure escape via a proprietary venting mechanism to avoid a stuffed feeling while lowering ambient noise, preventing acoustic feedback and yielding rich sound across the range.
However, no design is perfect. There will always be scenarios where sound could leak out from the ear canal and reach the sensitive microphones of a hearing device.
Fortunately, the researchers also had another trick up their sleeve: elite acoustic feedback cancellation technology. Using sophisticated digital signal processing (DSP) techniques, they created algorithms to detect the pre-conditions for acoustic feedback and pre-emptively tackle it. Thanks to this technology, hearing device wearers do not have to be anxious about sudden loud screeching sounds. The Hybrid Eartips and acoustic feedback cancellation technology are included with the latest Incus hearing device.
Having reviewed research literature on the occlusion effect, we have concluded that the occlusion effect is associated with the frequencies where someone is suffering from a hearing loss.
People with good low-frequency hearing are more likely to suffer from the occlusion effect. The frequency range where the occlusion effect occurs is between 250 and 500 Hz. If you are more sensitive to the lower frequency sounds, then you will perceive that sound more often, causing occlusion.
On the other hand, if you have hearing loss at low frequencies, you are less likely to experience occlusion as the sound may not be loud enough for you to perceive.
Most hearing loss patients would use hearing aids that amplify all sounds, even for low-frequency bone-conducted sounds.
If the wearer is more sensitive to the low-frequency sounds, then he will perceive the amplified sound more strongly, causing the constant loud, hollow noise of the occlusion effect. The more the sound the amplified, the worse the occlusion effect gets, making it unbearable for some hearing aid users.
The occlusion effect itself does not directly cause hearing loss. However, if the occlusion effect is not managed properly, it could lead to other issues that may cause hearing loss:
Occlusion isn’t all bad. For music enjoyers, occlusion may actually improve the sound quality.
Since low-frequency sounds are trapped during occlusion, sounds of instruments with low frequency such as drums or bass will remain longer. This can make music even more enjoyable. Let’s say you want to enjoy the soft bass sound in a song, having occlusion can highlight the bass sound, making it more hearable. Products with active noise cancellation (ANC), such as Apple’s AirPods Pro, commonly cause the occlusion effect. The working principle behind ANC technology is that they generate sound waves to cancel out noise. These sound waves may create a feeling of pressure in the ears. In addition, they create a seal between the earphone and the ear canal to prevent noise from entering the ear, but this also prevents pressure from being released.
]]>Bluetooth hearing aids are hearing aids but with Bluetooth function added on top. Bluetooth is a wireless communication function that allows you to transfer or stream data between devices. For instance, you can wirelessly stream music from your phone to your Bluetooth hearing aids using the Bluetooth function.
But why does this matter to hearing aids? And could a regular Bluetooth earphone replace this functionality?
The most appealing selling point of a hearing aid is its personalized sound. After conducting hearing tests, sounds can be adjusted by the hearing aid accordingly to your hearing test results to fit your hearing needs. This means sounds can be balanced for people with hearing loss.
However, there is an obstacle: You cannot wear a hearing aid and a Bluetooth earphone at the same time.
One of the problems with using a hearing aid is that it will always be sitting in your ear. In some scenarios, this can get awkward. For instance, when you pick up a phone call and put your phone next to your ear, the hearing aid probably is in your way and does not pick up the sounds from the phone call well. Also, when you want to listen to music with earphones, the hearing aid sitting in your ear will stop you from putting earphones on. Of course, you can take the hearing aid off, but sacrificing hearing to hear things seem ironic, and you won’t be able to enjoy your personalized sound.
This is where Bluetooth hearing aids come into play. They combine the functions of Bluetooth earphones and hearing aids, so you can answer calls or listen to music under the sound assistance and amplification provided by hearing aid, solving the issues of hearing aids and giving the consumers a better experience.
Yet, Bluetooth hearing aids are by no means perfect. Consumers should especially be aware of issues where their desired hearing aids are incompatible with their smartphones.
There are two prominent approaches to Bluetooth hearing aids’ interactions with smartphones: MFi (Made For iPhone) hearing aids and MFA (Made For All) hearing aids. Unfortunately, MFi does not support Android, and MFA models are still not widely available. Despite a large Android smartphone userbase, only a few Bluetooth hearing aids on the market are compatible with Android.
Believing that hearing devices should not restrict people from using their favourite smartphone operating system, Incus developed its hearing devices to be compatible across both iOS and Android.
Knowing that universal compatibility would be beneficial to consumers, we opted for an MFA style of Bluetooth, aiming to support multiple platforms. Thus, for Kite 2, we used Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), Bluetooth Classic Hands-Free Protocol (BT Classic HFP), and Advanced Audio Profile Distribution (A2DP). This gives our hearing aid the flexibility to connect to a lot more devices:
Electronics can emit radiation. Understandably, some people are cautious about Bluetooth devices. The energy radiated from electronics is called electromagnetic radiation (EMR).
There are two types of EMR: Ionizing EMR and Non-ionizing EMR.
While ionizing EMRs like X-rays can cause immediate damage to our body, Bluetooth is a form of non-ionizing EMR, which does not cause any harm to our body, so it is safe to use.
Besides, consumer electronics devices with Bluetooth functionality require electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests before being placed on the market. Bluetooth devices in the United States are subject to requirements by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the corresponding certification in China is called State Radio Regulation of China (SRRC). Other countries also ensure the safety of Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Traditional hearing aids with Bluetooth functionality come at a steep price premium compared to those without Bluetooth. If you are purchasing traditional hearing aids, you may have to weigh the cost of a US$ 1,000+ premium against the joy and convenience you would get from Bluetooth functionality.
Kite 2 by Incus comes with Bluetooth included, compatible with phone calls, audio streaming, and hearing device settings. You don’t need to pay extra to enjoy Bluetooth functions, making it an excellent choice if you are looking to buy a Bluetooth hearing aid.
Before you buy Bluetooth hearing aids, there are always things you should check. This includes:
Hearing loss has become more common nowadays. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), 5% (430 million) people worldwide suffer from hearing loss, and they predict that the global hearing loss rate will be around 10% by 2050. With its rising trend, people are paying more attention to their hearing condition as hearing is essential for communication, entertainment and safety. But how exactly can you know if you have hearing loss or not? While visiting a hearing care professional is the best way to get a definite answer, several signs of hearing loss are observable in our daily lives.
A hearing test is the most direct and easy way to tell whether your hearing is impaired, but those tests are not always available, and not many people know how to read the hearing test results. In addition, a comprehensive hearing test takes time and money, so you may want to check signs of hearing loss before investing in visiting a clinic.
Fortunately, the impacts of hearing loss can be observed in our daily lives. Here are some of the observable signs of hearing loss:
If you are interested in testing your ability to hear consonants, we have prepared a quick test for you to try if you can correctly hear the first consonants of these three words.
We suggest you set your device volume to 50% of the maximum, and recommend wearing headphones, if available.
Word #1:
See answer key.
Word: Superb
Consonant: [s]
Word #2:
See answer key.
Word: Harmony
Consonant: [h]
Word #3:
See answer key.
Word: Physical
Consonant: [f]
If you notice signs of hearing loss, you should always seek a medical professional for a full evaluation of your hearing ability to identify the situation and causes and to find the type and degree of hearing loss.
Don’t be anxious if it turns out you have hearing loss, as there are ways to treat hearing loss. It is important to treat hearing loss as early as possible, as untreated hearing loss worsens over time and causes other issues.
With that said, it is worth learning about the different types and degrees of hearing loss.
Experiencing symptoms of hearing loss does not guarantee that you have permanent hearing loss. Sometimes, hearing loss is temporary, or the symptoms have unrelated causes.
Temporary hearing loss is generally caused by blockage of canals by earwax, extremely loud noises, ear infections, and medicine aftereffects. It does slightly reduce hearing but there is no damage to our ears or nerves, and it is treatable. However, temporary hearing loss due to infection could eventually develop into permanent hearing loss.
In addition, research findings show that our hearing is reduced when we concentrate on seeing. Since our brain is not capable of focusing on multiple things simultaneously, concentrating on senses like sight would decrease our ability to hear, resulting in a seeming hearing loss.
Besides the signs, it is also crucial to study the different types and degrees of hearing loss. There are mainly three types of hearing loss: Conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss.
Conductive hearing loss means that sound cannot travel through the ear canals in the outer ear or vibration cannot be conducted to the ear bones in the middle ear. This is usually due to the accumulation of earwax or abnormal bone growth (Otosclerosis).
Sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage to the auditory nerve in the inner ear. The damage leads to no or weaker signals being sent to the brain after stimuli to sound, resulting in impaired hearing. Aging and long exposure to loud noise like construction noise are the common causes of sensorineural hearing loss.
Mixed hearing loss is a mix of conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. It is caused by damage to both the inner ear and the outer ear, and aging is another common cause.
Hearing loss may sound worrying, but there are different severity. There are four degrees of hearing loss: mild, moderate, severe, and profound hearing loss.
Each degree represents different severity measured by decibels of hearing level (dB HL). A higher value of decibels (dB HL) corresponds to more severe hearing loss. In other words, the higher value means the person is less sensitive to sound. The decibel ranges of each degree are as follows:
The degrees of hearing loss can be calculated using a Hearing Loss Calculator if you have obtained your audiogram.
While hearing loss is measurable, signs of these degrees of hearing loss can better demonstrate the situation and its severity. Luckily, they are observable in our daily lives.
As a reference point, whispering produces sound at approximately 20 dB, meaning that a person with mild hearing loss cannot hear it.
Most people with mild hearing loss can hear well in a one-on-one conversation, but when the environment becomes noisy, or if the speaker stands a bit further away, they may not be able to catch every word.
Light rain produces sound at around 40 dB, so moderate hearing loss patients cannot pick up the rain sound.
People with moderate hearing loss may struggle to hear speech in conversations and often have to ask the speaker to repeat themselves. That is because they have issues hearing consonants and vowels, so interpreting becomes difficult.
The sound of an air-conditioner is about 60 dB.
A conversation at a normal volume (also around 60 dB) tends to be inaudible to someone with severe hearing loss. Only when the speaker talks very loudly should they expect a response.
A truck driving by produces sound at around 80 dB. Someone with profound hearing loss is likely unable to hear such loud noise.
Profound hearing loss is very close to being deaf. A patient can only hear when the person is shouting next to them. At this point, hearing aids or cochlear implants are necessary for hearing speech.
You can try the Hearing Loss Simulator if you are curious about how these degrees of hearing loss sound.
Hearing loss is no longer a rare condition, especially for the elderly. With numerous researches, it has been found that aging leads to hearing degeneration. Common signs of hearing loss include asking someone to repeat themselves, increasing volume, others complaining you are speaking loudly, having negative emotions, getting tired when hearing others, being unable to enjoy music, and missing information during phone calls. Some people think they can hear well, but there are still possibilities that they may have less severe hearing loss without being aware of it. Nonetheless, hearing loss should be treated properly, and those with hearing problems should seek hearing consultations as soon as possible.
]]>Cloud technology is an important building brick for us here at Incus to deliver more innovative and accessible hearing solutions, and we are grateful for the recognition we received from the global panel of expert judges.
Incus hearing devices, like the Kite 2 Smart Personal Sound Amplifier, get better over time.
Similar to how smartphones and computers receive software updates over time, Incus hearing devices also get upgrades.
We call them over-the-air (OTA) updates.
OTA updates are delivered remotely through the internet, and our customers can install them on their Incus hearing devices by connecting their devices to the Yinbei smartphone app.
Our team continues to develop innovative hearing technologies rapidly. Whether it is performance optimizations or new features, we want our customers to join us on this journey. That is why OTA updates are free of charge.
All Incus hearing devices use digital signal processing (DSP) and run on 28-nanometer chips instead of the traditional analogue platforms. This allows us to provide more sophisticated features and makes it possible to update and reprogram them remotely.
Existing hearing solutions are not accessible to consumers, meaning hundreds of millions of hard-of-hearing individuals worldwide have untreated hearing loss. In China, for example, an estimated 72 million Chinese suffer from hearing loss but are served by fewer than 2,000 audiologists. Combined with unaffordable prices (traditional hearing aids typically cost around CNY 20,000 (USD 3100) per pair for mid-tier devices), lack of insurance coverage and an inefficient fitting process, the result is that less than 5% of those who could benefit from hearing devices wear them in China.
At Incus, we want to address these problems in the traditional hearing device market. Therefore, we have developed an innovative remote programming solution and direct-to-customer distribution model with remote customer support.
Incus hearing devices are available online through our website and e-commerce platforms and shipped directly to the customer.
The setup process is easy and remote: The Incus hearing device is connected to the accompanying smartphone app Yinbei to conduct a hearing test. Afterwards, sounds from the Incus hearing device are personalised based on the unique hearing profile of the wearer to provide an improved listening experience.
Customers who want additional support during their hearing health journey can contact our knowledgeable and friendly customer service team via text, messaging apps, email or phone calls.
This remote setup and customer support solution can help the majority of cases. Some more complex cases require help from an audiologist or ENT doctor.
Thanks to this distribution and service model, we cut out the middleman, avoid mark-ups by retailers, and do not have to cover the operating expenses of brick-and-mortar stores.
We pass the savings on to our customers: We provide hearing solutions at a fraction of the cost of traditional hearing devices - check the price of the newest Incus hearing device here.
]]>After realising they suffer from hearing loss or deafness, some patients seek medical help in hopes of fully recovering from hearing impairment. However, hearing loss is complex because numerous potential causes require different treatment methods. Unfortunately, there is often no known surgery or drug that could cure hearing loss.
There are three main types of hearing loss, which require different treatment methods.
If you are diagnosed with conductive hearing loss, it means that sound cannot effectively pass through the external auditory canal to the eardrum and the small bones within your ears. It is related to various causes, including ear infections, congenital malformations of the outer or middle ear etc. Surgery (especially for congenital causes) or medication (such as antibiotics for ear infections) are usually used as treatment.
Also known as nerve-related hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage in the inner ear or the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain. The main causes of this type of hearing loss include head trauma, prolonged exposure to noise, disease, ototoxic drugs (drugs that damage hearing), and ageing. We do not know how to repair or replace inner ear cells once they are damaged. However, immediate medical help can slow down hearing health deterioration.
Mixed hearing loss is primarily caused by chronic suppurative otitis media or advanced otosclerosis. This could be treatable, especially with early medical attention. In the later stage, people usually wear hearing aids.
For decades, researchers in labs worldwide have been working to find a cure for hearing loss. In particular, they have been working on a cure for sensorineural hearing loss.
So far, no cure is available, but will there ever be a cure for sensorineural hearing loss?
Perhaps.
There are several ongoing projects which seem promising, and a hearing loss cure could be on the horizon:
Researchers are investigating the potential of having stem cells develop to - and function as - hair cells. Scientists have discovered the presence of stem cells in the inner ears of mice, chicks, and zebrafish. Stem cells can under the right conditions develop into cells that are remarkably similar to hair cells. Although a cure does not yet exist, the results obtained thus far are promising. Researchers at Stanford Medicine, Rutgers University, MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear have all been making progress with research involving stem cells and hearing loss. Besides, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have conducted research that may help with hearing loss and tinnitus.
A biotech company called Frequency Therapeutics has been developing an injectable drug called FX-322 to treat sensorineural hearing loss by regenerating hair cells through the activation of cells already present in the cochlea. The working principle is called progenitor cell activation, which is similar to - but not the same as - stem cell research. FX-322 uses progenitor cells to generate inner hair cells and restore hearing ability.
Frequency Therapeutics show the hearing care world with an announcement on 13th February 2023:
On 13 Feb 2023 they immediately stopped all research and development efforts towards finding a cure for sensorineural hearing loss.
They had analyzed the results of their so-called FX-322-208 clinical trial, where they administered FX-322 in subjects 18 to 65 years with acquired sensorineural hearing loss.
142 participants were enrolled in the study. The study was double-blind placebo-controlled. This means some received a single dose of FX-322, while others received a Placebo treatment instead, and that neither the subjects nor the staff administering the doses knew who would receive the real treatment.
In the study, researchers measured the participants’ ability to correctly recognize speech in a quiet environment before and 90 days after the treatment (or Placebo).
They also measured whether the participants’ ability to recognize speech in noise as well as pure tone hearing thresholds and self-perceived hearing loss would change.
Unfortunately, the data showed no difference between the group that received FX-322 and the Placebo group.
In other words, the data showed that FX-322 does not cure sensorineural hearing loss.
On the same day, Frequency Therapeutics also announced they would stop development of FX-345.
The main difference between FX-322 and FX-345 was that FX-345 targeted areas deeper into the cochlea, which the researchers hoped would enable them to address additional sensorineural hearing loss types, such as age-related hearing loss.
Frequency Therapeutics had previously conducted five clinical studies on FX-322, and FX-322 was the most promising candidate for a hearing loss cure in the world. It looked like a cure could become available to the public within this decade.
The recent announcement shatters this hope.
Frequency Therapeutics was founded in 2014, so it it natural to wonder why it took nearly ten years to learn that FX-322 is not effective in treating hearing loss.
The road towards bringing a new drug to the market is long. FX-322 would have to pass a series of clinical trials to convicne the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it is safe, reliable and effective.
Before the FX-322-208 study, FX-322 had undergone five studies with 193 subjects treated without any severe adverse events. Data from three of the studies showed statistically signifiant improvements in speech recognition scores:
While these results were promising, the researchers speculated that some participants eager to receive the experimental drug might have exaggerated their hearing difficulties.
Data published in March 2021 supported this speculation: Both the treated and placebo groups saw improved word recognition scores. Participants in the placebo group did not actually receive FX-322, so one would not expect to see any improvement in word recognition scores.
To control for this, candidate subjects for the latest FX-322-208 study had to produce consistent hearing test results through a month-long screening process involving visits to three clinics.
It was through this very rigorous protocol that the researchers were finally able to conclude that FX-322 was not effective in treating sensorineural hearing loss.
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) identified the role of a protein in the development of new hearing hair cells. The result shows that in the absence of this protein, called GFI1, embryonic hair cells cannot develop into fully functional adult cells. The genes expressed by these cells are likely to develop into neuron-like cells. They believe that once the complex pathway to normal hearing is found, there is an opportunity to reverse hearing loss.
Until a cure for hearing loss is found, it is best to be mindful of maintaining your hearing health and prevent further irreparable hearing loss by seeking help from a hearing care professional. In a hearing consultation, the hearing care professional will evaluate your hearing health and recommend suitable treatment, and they might recommend a hearing aid.
Learn more about different hearing aid types by reading about the Top 6 Most Common Hearing Aid Styles.
If sensorineural hearing loss has developed to the point of profound hearing loss or deafness, it means the damage to the cells in the ear has become extremely severe.
There is no cure for deafness, although some individuals may benefit from cochlear implants.
As researchers are still working on trying to cure milder forms of hearing loss, it is, unfortunately, going to be a while until a deafness cure comes onto the horizon.
As of 2023, there is no cure for sensorineural hearing loss.
There are several projects underway to develop cures for sensorineural hearing loss. Frequency Therapeutics’ FX-322 was long a promising candidate. Unfortunately, a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that FX-322 is not effective, so the research and development has been stopped.
Hearing loss remains a major health issue affecting more than 10% of the population, so researchers will continue to search for a hearing loss cure. However, it does not look like any cure would become available to the public within this decade.
In the meantime, take care of your hearing health and seek treatment if you have hearing loss.
]]>On a sampling basis, BSI assessed whether we have continued to operate following an ISO 13485:2016-compliant Quality Management System for Medical Devices. Based on the audit findings, BSI maintained the certification status.
The next scheduled audit is a recertification audit. Recertification audits are conducted every three years and are more comprehensive than surveillance audits.
The auditors also carried out a site relocation audit to verify that our office relocation in June 2021 did not adversely impact our quality management system. The new address is on the updated certificate.
BSI certifies that we operate a Quality Management System for the scope of “The design, development, sales and distribution of audiometer application for smartphone and television.” complying with ISO 13485:2016 requirements.
]]>The proceeds will go towards research and development, marketing, and scaling operations to make hearing solutions even more accessible.
As part of the fundraising process, Incus underwent corporate restructuring and set up its new headquarter registered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China: 音科思(深圳)技术有限公司. The new structure will enable Incus to access the broader consumer market and capital market in Mainland China. Incus maintains its Hong Kong operations and office in the Hong Kong Science Park as a graduate tenant and member of the HKSTP technology ecosystem.
Incus was founded in Hong Kong in 2016 by Calvin Zhang and his professor and mentor Professor Richard So. After its founding, Incus has filed more than 15 patent applications and built a strong team. The team currently has six PhDs from top universities and research institutions like the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Nagoya University in Japan and Université Nice Sophia Antipolis of France. 36% of the team has a Master’s degree or above, and 94% possess a Bachelor degree or above. Thanks to the recent fundraising, the company can now enter a development new stage.
The number of hard-of-hearing people in China is rising due to the ageing population and people's increased exposure to noise. According to data published by the Beijing Society of Audiology in 2019, as many as 72 million Chinese may have hearing loss. Among them are 60 million senior citizens. Less than 5% of them wear hearing aids according to estimates - far below the rates seen in the United States and Europe.
Currently, the Chinese hearing aid market is highly polarised:
The unfortunate consequence of this market structure is that the majority of the hard-of-individuals are left unserved.
Incus has redefined hearing devices by combining the power of traditional hearing aids with the convenience and accessibility of consumer electronics products.
Based on years of scientific research and technology development, Incus launched Kite smart personal sound amplifier in 2020.
Kite offers hearing test and sound personalisation features powered by brain-inspired hearing algorithms to improve speech intelligibility. Featuring Intelligent Noise Reduction technology, it provides a more comfortable listening experience. Testing using the industry-standard measure Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) showed the noise reduction outperformed traditional high-end hearing aids at various signal-to-noise ratios.
The device is quick and easy to set up with the smartphone application Yinbei, which is available for both iOS and Android. Sounds from Kite are personalised based on a hearing profile obtained through a five-minute hearing test in the app.
Kite runs on a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC): Magic Flute 620.
Magic Flute 620 was designed to achieve high performance with low power consumption at a significantly lower price than traditional hearing aids.
The design was the result of combining Incus’ expertise in acoustic research and audio processing with the efforts of the strategic investor, which is a well-known wireless chip maker and listed company.
The core algorithm in Magic Flute is based on a brain-inspired auditory model. The system simulates the biological signal operation mechanism of the human brain in a multi-person environment or a noisy environment and uses a self-learning algorithm to smartly separate signals and noises in an environment.
It amplifies the target signal and has powerful computing and processing capabilities. Unlike traditional binaural dual chips, the Magic Flute is a single chip capable of processing binaural signals simultaneously, achieving independent and coordinated processing of the left and right ears.
Founder and CEO Calvin Zhang said:
"Following this round of financing, Incus will continue to optimise its core technology and competitive advantages, with its leading brain-inspired dynamic compensation technology, acoustic feedback suppression technology, AI scenery adaptation technology, environmental noise reduction, and neural network-based sound enhancement. With the synergy of audio technology and advanced semiconductor technology, Incus builds a competitive moat."
It is worth mentioning that Incus’ shareholders include world-renowned experts in microelectronics-related fields and Emeritus Professor Ping Ko of the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He was previously a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and was awarded the Solid-State Circuits Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to chip research and design.
"In the competitive landscape of consumer products in China, mastering advanced semiconductor chips means mastering the computing power required for algorithms. We are fortunate to be recognized by Professor Ko and have him join the Board of Directors to guide us in the continuous improvement and enhancement of the integration of algorithms and hardware to strengthen product competitiveness.”
We are grateful for the support from new and existing investors, which enables us to continue on our mission to use sound and technology to keep people connected.
]]>After discovering you have a reduced ability to hear, it is natural to be anxious to learn if the hearing loss is permanent or temporary. Depending on the cause, hearing loss might be reversible as long as you seek medical help in time. Here, we discuss the symptoms and causes of hearing loss and why some hearing loss is irreversible.
Yes, hearing loss can be permanent.
When hearing loss is permanent, it means that there is no way to restore hearing sensitivity.
If you have recently noticed a drop in your hearing ability, you may have a treatable temporary hearing loss. If you wait too long before seeking medical attention, a temporary hearing loss might become permanent and irreversible.
You should ask a medical professional to determine if your hearing loss is temporary or permanent.
That said, the signs of temporary hearing loss include:
The duration of a temporary hearing loss depends on its cause.
For example, temporary hearing loss caused by clogged ears may last until a trained professional helps remove whatever is filling the ear canal.
When it comes to ear infections, sensitivity to sounds may recover after treating the underlying ear infection.
Sudden temporary hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sounds usually lasts for less than 48 hours and subsides without intervention. However, be aware that the impact of noise on hearing accumulates over time. In other words, exposure to loud music or noise can cause temporary hearing loss but also permanent damage to the auditory system.
Can ear infections cause permanent hearing loss?
Usually, ear infections do not lead to permanent hearing loss.
However, there are exceptions.
Sometimes, ear infections cause irreversible damage to the eardrum or bones within the ear. Bacteria residing in the ear could break them down.
The key is to seek medical help as soon as possible, as an ear infection could end up causing permanent hearing loss if left untreated.
The main causes of permanent hearing loss are:
You may consider getting a hearing device if you have permanent hearing loss.
Hearing devices use microphones to pick up sounds from the environment and carry out digital signal processing to produce clear sounds that are easier to comprehend.
A suitable hearing device might improve your quality of life and preserve your remaining hearing ability. Traditional hearing devices are expensive, so you should first know what to expect from a hearing consultation to protect your interests. Educating yourself about hearing aids and the different hearing aid styles will help you make a more informed decision.
Hearing loss can be either permanent or temporary.
Hearing loss can sometimes be treatable or be a sign of other underlying health problems. That is why you should always seek medical attention if you suspect you have hearing loss.
If your hearing loss is indeed permanent, a hearing device might help improve your quality of life and protect your remaining hearing ability.
]]>The sound profiles of televisions, smartphones, earphones and loudspeakers sound good to most people.
That is because most electronic devices are designed for the “average” of the population.
The issue is that nobody is “average.” How we perceive sounds across the frequency spectrum varies dramatically.
Some of us require a boost at frequencies where our hearing is less sensitive.
However, usually, our only option is to turn up the master volume, which boosts all of the frequencies.
To someone with hearing loss, this makes the television sound distorted or unnatural, and the loudening of frequencies where the hearing is relatively good could cause further hearing damage.
To make the TV experience safer and more enjoyable, Incus has teamed up with TCL to integrate hearing health features into the award-winning TCL C12 Quantum Dot Mini LED Smart TV.
Hearing test and sound personalisation features engineered by Incus come pre-installed in TCL C12 televisions.
Now available to consumers in Mainland China, the television offers the ability to tune sounds to the watcher’s unique hearing profile.
The first step towards a personalised listening experience is to complete a hearing test covering six frequency bands in the 500 - 6,000 Hz range. Once the test is finished, the result can be used to personalise all sounds played through the loudspeakers of the television.
Streaming personalised audio from Bluetooth-enabled televisions was already possible with devices like the Kite smart personal sound amplifier.
The sound personalisation feature found in the TCL C12 television works out of the box without requiring any accessories, transmitters, or Bluetooth device.
Senior citizens are spending more and more time in front of the television, and populations are ageing. Because of this, seniors are becoming an increasingly important audience for not only television manufacturers but consumer electronics manufacturers in general.
A graph showing the average daily time spent watching TV per capita in the United States by age group (2015-2019). Source
Since there is a link between older age and worse hearing ability, we anticipate that consumers will opt for devices that can serve their audio needs well.
]]>Incus has been granted a HK$600,000 funding subsidy from the Technology Voucher Programme (TVP).
With support from the TVP, Incus will invest in a customised system for hearing aid product performance testing and quality assurance.
The customised system, featuring several specialised subsystems, will provide measurements and data throughout the different stages of product development and mass production.
Launched in November 2016, the TVP aims to support local enterprises/organisations in using technological services and solutions to improve productivity or upgrade or transform their business processes.
The TVP is part of the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) funded by the government of the HKSAR.
We are grateful for the funding support, which will enable us to continue to deliver safe and reliable hearing solutions.
]]>On June 10, 2021, Incus graduated from Hong Kong’s leading incubation programme for technology start-ups: the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park’s Incu-Tech programme. To graduate, we passed six milestone assessments of business progress and health.
We are grateful for the support we have received from the HKSTP for the last three years.
Through Incu-Tech, we have accessed furnished office spaces and world-class R&D equipment and lab services and received professional guidance, business support and financial aid.
Incus remains a member of the technology ecosystem as a graduate tenant of the Hong Kong Science Park.
You are welcome to visit us at our new office address with a prior appointment:
Unit 215, 2/F, Building 19W, 19 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong
Incu-Tech is a three-year programme aimed at helping technology start-ups specialising in deep tech research to develop innovative solutions.
]]>The HK Start-up Fiesta organised by The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) was kicked off on May 5, 2021, with an offline event titled HK Start-up Fiesta X Start-up Express Master League. With the two-month HK Start-up Fiesta campaign, HKTDC and supporting organisations aim to support and foster the local start-up ecosystem.
Sigurd Anders Berg from Incus spoke about “Passion and Vision” and shared how the company has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic while striving towards its mission: To use sound and technology to keep people connected.
Incus is honoured to be selected as one of the ten Start-up Express Master League scale-ups. The 10 winning companies in the Start-up Express Master League were selected based on their business resilience, growth and expansion strategy.
Incus originally qualified for the Start-up Express program through a series of pitches in 2019 and has with the support of the HKTDC participated in local and international activities and events.
Through the Start-up Express Master League, Incus will receive one more year of marketing support from the Start-up Express programme.
We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in upcoming events including, but not limited to, the Asian Financial Forum, the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring & Autumn Editions), the Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Mobile World Congress (MWC).
In February 2020 we announced that we had been ISO 13485-certified by BSI.
Since then, we have developed new technologies and solutions to achieve our mission of using sound and technology to keep people connected.
BSI carried out a scope extension audit to assess whether our updated quality management system for medical devices is suitable for the new scope.
The old scope was:
The new scope is:
Through this scope extension audit, we have demonstrated our capability to provide audiometer applications for television.
BSI certifies that we operate a Quality Management System which complies with the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for the new scope.
We will continue to follow international standards during our development to ensure that all medical devices we design are safe, reliable and effective.
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