Amazon announced that it would enable Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) on compatible Cochlear devices thanks to a partnership with hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear.
Cochlear's Nucleus 8, Nucleus 7, Nucleus Kanso 2, and Baha 6 Max can now receive audio streams from a variety of Fire TV models. These include the Fire TV Omni Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, Fire TV 4-Series, and Fire TV Cube, both 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen.
The ASHA Support
According to TechCrunch, Amazon recognized ASHA support as a means to make it easier for the thousands of people with cochlear implants to enjoy their favorite programs, utilize Alexa, listen to music, use navigational sounds, and other things.
In a previous Amazon blog post by software developer Michael Forzano, ASHA support for Cochlear devices takes the pressure out of streaming.
Forzano was born without sight and has relied on cochlear implants to restore his hearing ever since he lost it at the age of five. Forzano and the AmazonPWD community helped put the technology through its paces.
Forzano was unable to relax in front of the television until this new addition. "If I was trying to watch on the TV in the living room, I'd probably be missing out on, say, 40-50% of the words due to the echoing, the loss in quality, and due to the different voices that you might not be so familiar with."
He added, "I'm really excited for the world that [ASHA support] is going to open up for me."
Commitment to Accessibility
Amazon's head of accessibility for devices and services, Peter Korn, echoed the sentiment. He said that consumers with hearing aids want to be able to hear the TV without obstructing their ability to hear other people.
Since then, Korn and his group have collaborated with the firm Cochlear. They worked on bypassing the implant's microphones, feeding audio from Fire TV straight into the implants, and preventing the sound from being distorted by noise and echoes.
Moreover, according to Korn, the technology is functional even at the shorter distances typical of a home's living room.
The partnership between Amazon and Cochlear represents an expansion of the company's commitment to accessibility. Amazon released ASHA for Starkey's Bluetooth hearing aids (Audibel, NuEar, MicroTech, and Audigy) in April 2022 for the Fire TV Cube 2nd Gen.
For many years, Cochlear has been developing technology to wirelessly transmit phone calls and music to its hearing aids. The Nucleus Sound Processors from Cochlear are equipped with wireless streaming technology that connects wirelessly to an iOS or Android smartphone.
