Nucleus Freedom Water Resistance
Inspiration. Imagination. Innovation.
Say hello to Nucleus® Freedom™ from Cochlear.
The world’s first water and sweat-resistant speech processor!
The sounds of life don’t stop because of a little water. Neither should your hearing.
Why water resistance?
Water resistance is an important innovation and we are proud to incorporate it into the Nucleus Freedom. First and foremost, this feature allows users to experience sound in more places than ever before, rain or shine, whether you’re poolside or inside. Now you can live, work, and play without having to worry about a little water.
Is this really a new feature?
Yes! For years, previous Nucleus™ speech processors – including the ESPrit™ 3G and now the Freedom – have incorporated what’s called a conformal coating, which is a membrane deposited over the surface of the electronic components and circuit board to seal them from moisture. This works much like a deck or roof sealant, preventing moisture from getting through to the surface of the circuit board and into the electronic components. However, conformal coating is not sufficient by itself to create the level of water resistance that we now have with Freedom!
How is the Freedom water resistant?
To ensure that Freedom could meet the International Standards, we addressed each component that supports true water resistance. From an engineering perspective, it was best and most effective to engineer a new processor to be water resistant from the ground up. Enter Nucleus Freedom.
Seven different components of the Freedom were engineered specifically for water resistance. The chart below refers to those components.
| Water resistant component | Freedom | Other systems |
|---|---|---|
| Coil connector | Yes | No |
| Bayonet connector | Yes | No |
| Microphone protector | Yes | No |
| Battery holder cover | Yes | No |
| Pushbutton controls | Yes | No |
| Accessory socket cover | Yes | No |
How did you confirm the water resistance?
Cochlear tested Freedom’s water resistance against international standards (International Standard IEC 60529). Specifically, we passed the IP44 water resistance criterion, meaning that the device is protected from solids greater than 1 millimeter (dust and sand, for example) and from splashing water from all directions with no harmful results. This is a claim no other cochlear implant manufacturer can make!
The international standard defines Ingress Protection (IP) of electronic equipment such as a speech processor using a coded two-digit number. The first digit represents the level of protection against the ingress of solid objects. The second digit represents the level of protection against ingress of liquids.
The graphic below shows the level of protection achieved by the Nucleus Freedom speech processor - IP44.
Freedom’s water resistance is an impressive design accomplishment and we are very proud to be the first cochlear implant manufacturer to offer this valuable feature. Water resistance is now part of the Cochlear design philosophy, and is something that has been uniquely and intricately designed, developed, and tested.
No more worrying about a sweaty workout or getting caught in the rain. No longer will water dampen the sounds of your life. So kick off your shoes, run through the sprinklers, and enjoy your Freedom.
For more information and details on Nucleus Freedom click on the areas of interest.
- Freedom Speech Processors: The speech processor is a modular design –so it’s one processor that can be changed to be a BTE or a body-worn configuration.
- Nucleus Freedom Implant: Contour Advance Electrode with Softip
- SmartSound: Freedom has Auto-sensitivity and a built-in telecoil, and new features like SmartSound™
- Connect to Life: Cochlear offers a range of accessories to help you make the most out of the cochlear implant experience, and they are available for online ordering!
