Omega AI — the new product family
With the new Omega AI, Starkey has introduced a hearing aid that sets new standards in many respects. At the heart of this innovation is the DNN-based directionality system, or DNN 360 for short. This is a deep neural network-based process that controls the directional characteristics of the microphones in real time-continuously, without manual switching. For hearing care professionals, this represents a paradigm shift: away from static or preset directional patterns, toward fully adaptive, artificially intelligent control of the listening environment.
How the DNN 360 works
At its core, DNN 360 uses a trained neural network that continuously analyzes the acoustic environment. Microphones, motion sensors, and other input variables provide information about whether speech is present, the direction from which it is coming, the level of background noise, and whether the wearer is currently moving. The system uses this data to determine which directional characteristic is most suitable at any given moment. For example, in a café, the hearing aid can recognize that the main source of speech is to the side, while loud sources of interference are coming from further back. It automatically attenuates these interfering noises, flexibly focuses on the relevant source of speech, and still maintains spatial perception. This "spatial awareness" is crucial for users to continue to locate sources of noise and experience a natural sound image.
Unlike conventional adaptive directionality systems, which usually only switch between a few fixed modes, DNN 360 responds continuously and finely to the acoustic scene. It is, so to speak, a fluid, neural beamforming system that has been trained on a large data set of real-life listening situations.
Technological basis: the G3 Gen Neuro Processor
For such a system to work in real time, considerable computing power is required. This is provided by the integrated G3 Gen Neuro Processor. It processes significantly more input data simultaneously and enables parallel calculation of speech, spatial, and motion signals with minimal latency. Despite the increased complexity, energy efficiency remains high: Starkey specifies a battery life of up to 51 hours. This illustrates that the DNN system has been implemented not only theoretically, but also practically for everyday use.
Hearing aid benefits
DNN 360 offers hearing care professionals significant added value. The signal-to-noise ratio is significantly improved in numerous listening situations. What is particularly impressive is that this improvement does not come at the expense of spatial orientation. The system ensures that wearers can still perceive their surroundings despite directionality-a crucial factor for comfort and safety in everyday life. In addition, the need for manual intervention is significantly reduced. While older hearing systems often required program changes or directionality mode adjustments, the DNN system makes these decisions independently.
A decisive step toward truly "intelligent" hearing aids.
With DNN 360 in the new Omega AI product family, Starkey has introduced a directionality system that redefines the current state of hearing aid technology. The combination of deep learning-based scene analysis, continuous directional adjustment, and spatial naturalness results in an unprecedented balance between speech focus and environmental awareness. This opens up a new level of automatic fitting for hearing care professionals-technically challenging, but with enormous potential for speech understanding and customer satisfaction.
DNN 360 is therefore less of a further development of classic directionality and more of an intelligent, neural hearing system that continuously adapts to the individual and their acoustic environment-a decisive step towards truly "intelligent" hearing aids.
Contact our sales team now and arrange a free product demonstration: