At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Starkey Hearing Technologies announced enhancements to its recently released Livio AI hearing aid. Among the announced features is the first-ever Fall Detection and Alert capability within a hearing aid. Heart Rate Measurement and a built-in Virtual Assistant were also included in the release.
The new highly-anticipated Fall Alert feature is said to be able to detect falls and send alert messages to selected contacts. Starkey says that it has incorporated significant new inventions to avoid false-positives and flag only true falls.
“This is such an exciting time to be a part of the hearing industry. We continue to transform the hearing aids with embedded sensors and artificial intelligence – whether it be through integrating Fall Alert, Heart Rate Measurement, Translation or a built-in Virtual Assistant. And we are just getting started – with advanced environmental detection, geotagged settings, a natural user interface and now a rechargeable option, Livio AI is the ultimate in sound quality, in usability and a multi-functional, must-have device.”
–Achin Bhowmik, PhD, Starkey CTO and EVP of Engineering
Among the new and existing features included within the Starkey Livio AI hearing aid include:
- Fall Detection and Alerts – NEW
- Heart Rate Measurement – NEW
- Thrive Virtual Assistant, built on Google Assistant – NEW
- Rechargeable option – NEW
- Voice-to-text Transcription – NEW
- Self Check for hearing performance – NEW
- Translation in 27 languages
- Natural user interface with tap control
- Amazon Alexa connectivity
With falls being a major health issue and a growing concern with an aging population, the company believes the new Fall Alert feature included in the Livio devices has the potential to save lives. “I have always dreamed about making a monumental positive impact on society,” said Bill Austin, Founder and CEO of Starkey Hearing Technologies. “Livio AI and its fall-alert feature will not only provide peace of mind to caregivers but could potentially saves lives all over the world.”
A video on the Livio AI’s Fall Detection feature can be seen below:
Hearing Aid with Fall Detection, Heart Rate Measurement and Virtual Assistant
Livio AI’s embedded sensors and artificial intelligence also paved the way for in-ear receivers that provide accurate heart-rate measurement and heart-rate recovery information. This empowers people to engage proactively in their own fitness efforts and improve their overall health.
“Livio AI is the best sounding hearing aid we have ever created, and our product roadmap will bring even more innovations and quality-of-life improvements. We want our customers to feel connected to all the people and activities they love. Fall detection, language translation, body- and cognitive-wellness tracking and heart measurement allow us to enable that. It’s about helping people hear the best they can possibly hear and using state-of-the-art technology and great design to lessen the stigma of hearing aids, ultimately allowing people to hear better, and live better”
–Brandon Sawalich, President, Starkey Hearing Technologies
To further add to the usability and multi-function of Livio AI, Starkey is introducing the Thrive Virtual Assistant, which is integrated with the Google Assistant for hands-free help. This application-based assistant can answer questions such as, “What’s today’s weather forecast?” It also allows the user to conveniently troubleshoot hearing-aid and accessory issues.
Livio AI includes a new mobile app—Thrive™ Hearing Control; and four new wireless accessories:
- Starkey Hearing Technologies TV
- Remote
- Mini Remote Microphone
- Remote Microphone +
With the new Remote Microphone +, Livio AI is also the first hearing aid to feature Amazon Alexa connectivity.
Availability
The Livio AI is currently available in the U.S. and Canada, with global availability to more than 20 countries beginning in early 2019.
