Phonak Roger Pen wins prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2016

Phonak have announced that its Roger Pen has been recognized for outstanding product design with the iF DESIGN AWARD, one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world.

The Roger Pen is an advanced wireless microphone for those affected by hearing loss. With its functional and inconspicuous design, it mimics a pen in shape and looks more like a stylish device than a medical instrument. The pen was selected to receive the coveted seal of design excellence in the category of Medicine/Healthcare by an international, high-profile jury of design professionals, press members and academics.

“We are delighted and greatly honored to receive the iF DESIGN AWARD recognition,” said Drs. Hans Mülder, Marketing Director of Phonak Communications. “The award highlights our efforts to pair the highest standards in hearing performance, ease of use and innovation with outstanding design.”

Among design features to convince the iF jury is a special layer of lacquering on the pen’s surface that reduces friction noise significantly compared to ordinary lacquering. The Roger Pen’s design guarantees that speech is picked up in an optimal way thanks to a weight mounted inside the device, causing it to roll until the microphone openings face upwards. Both features improve hearing performance for those affected by hearing loss

Users benefit from an extra performance boost with the Roger Pen in the most difficult listening situations, such as in noise or over distance. It helps those affected by hearing loss to understand speech up to 62% better than people without hearing loss (1).

The pen is easy to use: by clicking tiny receivers into their hearing aid, users can hear the speaker directly in the ear. The integrated wideband Bluetooth chip enables wireless cell phone calls and transmits the sound from the TV wirelessly to the ears, making users’ lives easier.


 

(1)    Professor Thibodeau, Linda, PhD (2014), Comparison of speech recognition with adaptive digital and FM wireless technology by listeners who use hearing aids, University of Texas, Dallas, USA, The American Journal of Audiology. Volume 23, 201-210, June 2014.