Now hear this! Scanner makes big impression

A medical device from Lantos Technologies will change the face — and ear — of the audiology industry when it hits the market later this year as it aims to replace the "medieval art" of silicone ear canal impression-taking, according to the company's chief executive.

Spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology labs, the company's 3D Ear Scanning System can be used in a variety of markets, including consumer audio, industrial and military hearing protection, and hearing aids, said Lantos CEO and Chairman Jeffrey Leathe.

"These industries have been looking for a Holy Grail since their inception," Leathe, 56, said. "Every ear canal is different. They're just like fingerprints."

Founded in 2009, the Cambridge company has raised nearly $12 million to date. The Lantos device is the first 3-D ear scanning technology to land U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance, Leathe said.

The Lantos portable handheld scanner can capture precise images of an individual's ear canal as a soft membrane fills with a water-based optical dye and conforms to his or her specific ear anatomy. The device membrane can also extend all the way to the eardrum and be easily removed once the process is complete, Leathe said.

"There's a lot of real estate in the ear canal not being used currently," he said. "The devices that work best are those deepest in the ear canal."

Lantos scans take less than two minutes for both ears, unlike traditional impressions, which can last up to 15 minutes, Leathe said.

The Lantos scanner is currently being tested by three of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world, Leathe said. The companies were not disclosed.

The device, which is expected to be commercially available in six to nine months, will also be "well within the standard (price) range" of instrumentation already being used by audiologists, Leathe said.

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