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DELIVERY OF SOUND DEEPER INTO THE DYNAMIC HUMAN EAR

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 19186
Amount: $750,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1996
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
200 Crestview Drive
Maplewood, MN 55119
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Robert J Oliveira
 (800) 872-8986
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

HEARING AID USERS DESCRIBE THE OCCLUSION EFFECT AND JAW MOTION INDUCED FEEDBACK PROBLEMS AS MAJOR CAUSES FOR HEARING AID DISSATISFACTION. THE WORK WOULD DEFINE GROUNDWORK FOR A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN EAR CANAL AND THE DESIGN OF A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE DEEPER INSERTION EARPIECE THAT HAS MINIMUM CONTACT WITH THE DYNAMIC CARTILAGENOUS REGION OF THE CANAL. WITH 6 CAREFULLY CHOSEN SUBJECTS, DEEP SILICONE EAR IMPRESSIONS AND MRI METHODOLOGIES WILL BE EVALUATED FOR UTILITY IN VISUALIZIING IMPORTANT TOPOGRAPHY AND SUB-STRUCTURE OF THE EAR CANAL. DATA OBTAINED WILL ALLOW SUBJECT-SPECIFIC DESIGN OF PROTYPICAL EARPIECES. MEASUREMENTS WILL BE TAKEN TO DETERMINEE EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING THE OCCLUSION EFFECT AND JAW MOTION INDUCED FEEDBACK WITH IN-THE-EAR HEARING AIDS WITH EXPERIMENTAL EARPIECES. IN THE U.S. MORE THAN 3 MILLION EXISTING HEARING AID USERS AND 60% OF ALL NEW USERS COULD BENEFIT FROM A SUCCESSFUL DEEPER INSERTION EARPIECE. THE PHASE I TECHNICAL TEAM INVOLVES AUDIOLOGY, BIOPHYSICS, OTOLOGY AND RADIOLOGY TALENT, LED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, AN EXPERIENCED INVENTOR AND BUILDER OF NEW HEARING HEALTH BUSINESS. THE COMPANY, HAVING ALREADY DEVELOPED ONE EARPIECE TO COMMERCIALIZATION, IS IDEALLY POSITIONED TO BRING A SUCCESSFUL DEEPER INSERTION EARPIECE TO THE HEARING MARKETPLACE THROUGH MANY HEARING AID MANUFACTURERS.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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