Sonion uses vibroacoustic modelling and experimental tests to develop components for hearing instruments and professional audio. Michele Colloca of Sonion spoke with COMSOL about his team's work and the future of hearing aid technology.x`
Audio monitors, earphones, headphones, hearing aids and other popular audio technologies often feature the name of a single brand, but most of these products incorporate parts designed and made by a variety of companies. For example, five of the world's six largest hearing aid companies feature transducer components developed by Sonion, a global company that designs and manufactures advanced miniature components — such as balanced armature receivers, high-end microphones, voice pick up sensors and other electromechanical components — for manufacturers of hearing instruments and professional audio. The engineers at Sonion support their customers at each stage of product development, from initial concept through design refinement and mass production. "Our goal is to become partners with our customers and codevelop with them, rather than just being their suppliers," said Michele Colloca, head of receiver & RIC development at Sonion.
In his work, Colloca can be found leading teams of simulation engineers in the Netherlands and Vietnam, providing different R&D departments at Sonion and their customers with modelling support for existing products and new concepts, validating models with experiments, and explaining the mechanisms behind Sonion's transducers. "We see modelling as a place of mutual enrichment, where we can exchange information and solve problems. Our models are a place where we and our customers can join together to improve the end users' experience," said Colloca.
As captured in the following Q&A, COMSOL connected with Colloca to learn about the main challenges in designing hearing instruments, how modelling and simulation helps accelerate R&D and how Sonion is moving hearing aid technology forward.
Continue Reading the Full Q&A Here
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The COMSOL Multiphysics® modelling and simulation software is used in all fields of engineering, manufacturing and scientific research to simulate designs, devices and processes. The platform is an integrated environment for creating physics-based models and simulation applications.
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