- Using what will be the world’s smallest commercially-available fuel cell, WIDEX EVOKE featuring Energy Cell technology allows users to reenergize their hearing aids off the grid in just 20 seconds
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.— Widex today announced that it has been named a CES® 2019 Best of Innovation Awards Honoree for WIDEX EVOKETM featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL™ technology in the Fitness, Sports and Biotech product category
WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology will debut at CES as the world’s first battery-free* hearing aid at the Sands Expo Booth #43735. Available the summer of 2019, this new technology is built on the revolutionary WIDEX EVOKE platform to provide superior sound quality, while liberating users by leveraging the benefits of WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology.
“With WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology, the world will finally get to see its first hearing aid powered by fuel cell technology,” said Jeff Geigel, President, Widex USA. “Most hearing aids today use batteries or battery chargers connected to power outlets. Our new hearing aid will require neither. This is exciting new technology that will be hassle free for the user while providing superior sound quality and app control that makes the hearing aid easy to manage in any setting.”
WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology will debut at CES as the world’s first battery-free* hearing aid at the Sands Expo Booth #43735. Available the summer of 2019, this new technology is built on the revolutionary WIDEX EVOKE platform to provide superior sound quality, while liberating users by leveraging the benefits of WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology.
“With WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology, the world will finally get to see its first hearing aid powered by fuel cell technology,” said Jeff Geigel, President, Widex USA. “Most hearing aids today use batteries or battery chargers connected to power outlets. Our new hearing aid will require neither. This is exciting new technology that will be hassle free for the user while providing superior sound quality and app control that makes the hearing aid easy to manage in any setting.”
Using what will be the world’s smallest commercially-available fuel cell, WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology allows users to reenergize their hearing aids off the grid in just 20 seconds. It is significantly easier to handle than traditional hearing aids and never needs a battery change again.
The CES Innovation Award is the second honor Widex has received for the WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology. The hearing aid was also honored in the prestigious Red Dot 2018 ‘Best of the Best’ Awards for Design Concepts and is exhibited in the Red Dot museum in Singapore.
Widex was also recognized as a leader in innovation in the Red Dot Design Ranking for Design Concepts. Widex placed number four out of 15 companies in the Americas and Europe region in recognition of its pursuit of design excellence over the past five years. The Red Dot Award for Design Concepts has grown to be the largest and most recognized professional design competition for design concepts and prototypes ready to launch worldwide.
WIDEX EVOKE and WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology hearing aids will both be on display at CES Booth # 43735. Launched in June 2018, WIDEX EVOKE is the first hearing aid to feature advanced machine learning technology in real time to create truly personalized sound for wearers.
How WIDEX ENERGY CELL Technology Works
Fuel cell technology powered the space-race in the 1960s and 1970s and today, fuel cell technology is used in the car industry and in power back-up systems, though in much larger sizes.
WIDEX ENERGY CELL is the Widex technology based on a miniature fuel cell. Widex has developed the intelligent refill unit in collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute, and with financial support from Innovation Fund Denmark. The miniature fuel cells draw on DTI’s cross-disciplinary engineering skills and specialist knowledge within nanotechnology.
“Together we have created a small fuel cell that can fit inside a hearing aid without compromising performance and durability. The fuel cell powers the hearing aid through a safe electrochemical reaction using oxygen and methanol. The only waste from this reaction is a small amount of water and carbon dioxide,” says Leif Højslet, Director at DTI.
While modern rechargeable hearing aids take three to six hours to get fully charged, WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology reenergizes in just 20 seconds. For those using traditional batteries, WIDEX EVOKE featuring WIDEX ENERGY CELL technology eliminates the need to replace the battery about once a week, as well as the cost of up to 120 batteries per year.
About Widex
At Widex we believe in a world where there are no barriers to communication; a world where people interact freely, effortlessly and confidently. With 60 years’ experience developing state-of-the-art technology, we provide hearing solutions that are easy to use, seamlessly integrated in daily life and enable people to hear naturally. As one of the world’s leading hearing aid producers, our products are sold in more than 100 countries, and we employ 4,000 people worldwide. Read more at www.widex.com.
*The energy cell is substantially equivalent to a button battery
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