ELI Gives Hearing Aids Bluetooth Boost

New device from Starkey Laboratories acts as a bridge between hearing aids and Bluetooth compatible devices such as cell phones.

Starkey Laboratories, a maker of hearing aid technologies, entered into the wireless Bluetooth space today as it unveiled the ELI, or Ear Level Instrument. To be available through Starkey’s family of companies, the ELI is what the company is calling the first ever device to turn hearing aids into wireless headsets.

The ELI is designed to provide wireless Bluetooth connections between hearing aid wearers and the array of Bluetooth compatible devices out there, such as cellular telephones. It is designed for behind the ear wearing, attaches to the base of a compatible hearing instrument and gets up to 140 hours of standby time or 2.5 continuous usage time before needing to be recharged.

“Our mission at Starkey is not only to research, design and develop hearing devices that improve virtually any hearing impairment but to actually improve the lives of those who are hearing impaired,” said Jerry Ruzicka, president of Starkey Laboratories. “ELI is a shining example of this as it is the first product of its kind to eliminate the interference hearing instrument wearers encounter when using portable devices like cell phones. In essence, ELI offers the hearing impaired the ability–at long last–to be wireless.”