The partnership will focus on increasing global awareness and education for Auracast broadcast audio among venues, hearing care professionals, and end-users.
Listen Technologies and Ampetronic have engaged AuraFuturity, a consultancy in the hearing and hearables markets, to increase global awareness and adoption of Auracast broadcast audio.
AuraFuturity was founded in 2022 by Andrew Bellavia, a hearing industry veteran and co-host of the This Week in Hearing podcast. Bellavia, who wears hearing aids and was an early adopter of Auracast for assistive listening, will lead the initiative to educate various sectors on the technology’s benefits. The collaboration will involve targeted outreach to venues, hearing care professionals, and end-users through content creation, speaking engagements, and direct educational programs.
“Studies have shown that when people cannot hear well, fatigue increases and recall is reduced. Furthermore, about 25 million people in the US alone do not have measurable hearing loss but still struggle in challenging situations,” says Bellavia in a release. “Auracast provides a discreet way for them to use assistive listening with compatible earbuds in addition to those who wear hearing devices.”
Bellavia also works with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) to increase awareness of Auracast and often highlights existing installations to demonstrate its real-world applications and audio quality.
“Education is needed to make people aware of the full value of Auracast with its versatility and multi-channel capability,” he adds. “It’s amazing to see people’s reaction when I describe the benefit for neurodiverse people, or how descriptive audio and multiple languages can be supported.”
The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of Auracast by demonstrating its value in various settings.
“Andrew is a trusted thought leader with technical knowledge. He also brings an informed end-user perspective to the assistive listening experience,” says Kasey Kaumans, national account manager at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, in a release. “Listen Technologies and Ampetronic are committed to making audio accessible to everyone. In partnership with Andrew and AuraFuturity, we will continue to build awareness of Auracast broadcast audio, expand education about assistive listening, and accelerate the adoption of innovative, accessible audio solutions worldwide.”
