Nurotron Biotechnology’s Enduro BTE System
30% smaller, with more features
“Nurotron needed a development partner who understood our product and users and could deliver sophisticated design and engineering services. With experience developing cochlear implant devices, Product Creation Studio helped us bring a vastly improved device to the Chinese market in two years. The new device is 30% smaller than the previous one with more features, and it achieved big success when it was released to the Chinese market.”
About Nurotron Biotechnology
Nurotron Biotechnology Co Ltd is a medical device company that designs, develops and manufactures neuro-stimulation systems. The current products on the market are “Venus” and “Enduro” cochlear implant systems, devices that can restore hearing to people who are totally deaf. The company's headquarters and production base are in Hangzhou, China, and with a research and development center in California, U.S.A.
Nurotron has undertaken several important neuron-stimulation projects in China. The company’s cochlear implant project is supported by China’s "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" National Science and Technology Support Program” and the Chinese Academy of Sciences "Science and Technology Disability Assistance Program." Nurotron has brought sound to more than 10,000 hearing-impaired patients and has performed operations in more than 200 hospitals across the country since 2010, bringing sound to hearing-impaired patients in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and other countries.
Product Challenge
Nurotron needed to add new features, reduce the device size, and create a better design. They wanted the thinnest behind-the-ear (BTE) processor package they could get to create a comfortable user experience.
Why Nurotron Chose Product Creation Studio
Nurotron was impressed by Product Creation Studio’s previous award-winning work with Advanced Bionics. They needed a development partner with proven experience working on cochlear implants to create a product specifically designed for the Chinese market.
Product Creation Studio’s Role
Product Creation Studio provided industrial design, usability, and mechanical engineering for four components of the Enduro cochlear implant: Behind the Ear (BTE) processor, headpiece/transducer, external battery pack, and remote. The resulting device is ergonomic with a streamlined design to fit the curve of the human ear. It is light and comfortable to wear, and the compact design makes the device more solid and reliable. With Bluetooth connectivity, the system is convenient and smart with touch-screen controls.
Project Results
Product Creation Studio helped Nurotron bring the Enduro, a vastly improved device, to the Chinese market in two years. The new device is 30% smaller than the previous one with more features. The Enduro has been successfully commercialized and is currently the main product of the company, and the cochlear implant project has won several national and provincial science and technology awards.
