Sonova Holding AG (SIX:SOON) has inked a deal to license Ceva’s RivieraWaves Bluetooth intellectual property for use in its Sword 3.0 wireless hearing aid chip, Ceva said today.
The licensed RivieraWaves Bluetooth IP platform consists of a hardware baseband controller and software protocol stack and will help power the Sword 3.0, which Sonova touts as the world’s first and only hearing aid radio chip that will fully support direct binaural streaming of audio content.
“We are delighted to formally announce our partnership with Sonova, for our RivieraWaves Bluetooth IP. It’s a testament to the quality of our Bluetooth technology for even the most stringent use cases and we look forward to continuing our work together as Bluetooth looks set to become the wireless standard of choice for hearing aids and other smart hearing devices,” CEVA connectivity biz GM Aviv Malinovitch said in a prepared statement.
The Sword 3.0 device is intended to connect to a smartphone for internet access that will allow the devices to be adjusted remotely by their hearing care professional, the companies said.
“Our latest generation Sword chip reinforces our mission to continually introduce new and innovative technologies that greatly improve the user experience of hearing aids. The integration of CEVA’s advanced Bluetooth Dual Mode IP into our wireless chip enables us to bring low power stereo audio streaming and data connectivity to our hearing aids, giving our customers an unparalleled user experience,” Sonova wireless R&D director Marc Secall said in a press release.
In August, Sonova subsidiary Advanced Bionics said that it won FDA approval for its HiRes Ultra 3D cochlear implant.
