Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has collaborated with Jacoti, an audio technology company with a mission to address the world’s hearing needs, to bring Jacoti’s hearing enhancement software to the Qualcomm® QCC5100 Series Ultra-Low Power Bluetooth SoCs.
Available for true wireless earbuds and Bluetooth headsets, this integration “adds accessible, accurate personalized hearing assistance with additional safety features”.
The World Health Organization reports that a third of the global population over age 65 has disabling hearing loss and that more than one billion teens and adults are at risk for hearing loss, with more than 900 million people expected to have disabling hearing loss by 2050. In fact, the Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. 2020 State of Play Report found 40 percent of consumers surveyed are interested in earbuds that can provide automatic hearing assistance, as needed. In response, Jacoti has combined its medical expertise with the engineering prowess of Qualcomm Technologies to provide high-quality hearing enhancement solutions.
“By working with Jacoti, we’re making hearing enhancement and personalization technology more accessible to consumers than ever before. For our customers, who are competing in a rapidly changing and crowded market, exciting technologies like this will provide a really interesting way to differentiate and enrich the end user experience”
–James Chapman, VP and General Manager, Voice, Music & Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.
“We are excited to have this collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and be able to integrate our audiologically-based hearing solutions into this powerful platform to improve the audio experience of all users,” said Jacques Kinsbergen as CEO and Founder of Jacoti. “It will also help us realize our social mission to make state-of-the-art hearing solutions accessible and affordable for those with hearing challenges throughout the world. We believe that hearing loss is both a medical condition and a consumer challenge and therefore needs a consumer-driven and consumer-oriented solution.”
Self-Administered Hearing Tests to Customize Audio Experience
Jacoti’s technology comes with a self-administered hearing test that prompts various tones and frequencies, to establish volume thresholds for the user’s level of hearing. Two audiograms are then created, tailored specifically to the user’s right and left ears, acting as the user’s individual hearing prescription based on their level of individual hearing.
These customized audiograms, in conjunction with the Jacoti technology, will work on devices featuring the Qualcomm QCC5100 Series SoCs and across multiple devices, with the software intercepting incoming sound before it reaches the user’s ears and then adjusting the volume of the appropriate frequencies to compensate for the user’s individual hearing deficiencies.
The software on the device also prevents the user from exposure to sounds that can cause further hearing damage, resulting in a clear, safe, and pleasurable listening experience.
For more information on Qualcomm QCC5100 series SoCs, visit: www.qualcomm.com/products/qcc5100-series
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.
Source: Qualcomm, Jacoti
