Did you know that a cat can rotate their ears 180 degrees to find the  source of the tiniest squeaks and rustles? There have been three cats that have been a part of my life. The latest, Elvis, was a long hair domestic. A beautiful male cat. I found it fascinating to watch him rotate his ears toward the sound of my voice versus turning to look at me.

I don’t know what inspired the engineers that developed what is called Ultrazoom in my hearing system, but it emulates what a cat can do with their ears. Ultrazoom allows me to focus my hearing system in a specific direction.

On a recent road trip I worked at being more proactive in the use of the wonderful extras my hearing system provides for me. There were times on our trip when I was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle. I turned on my UltraZoom to enhance the sound in front of me. This setting also shut down the background noise of the vehicle and did a great job of picking up Paul’s, my husband, and Jana’s, my daughter, conversation in the front seat. It was wonderful to be able to hear and participate in the discussion.

When we stopped at a restaurant, I forgot I had this setting on. We chose to eat on the patio and after a bit I realized I could hear Paul and Jana pretty well and I remembered that I had UltraZoom front facing microphones still on.

I have also used the left side focus when traveling as a passenger in the car to enhance conversation with the driver. In a party situation it works great when trying to visit with one or two people. I also checked it out in our local theater when the director made a opening statement without the use of a microphone. Setting my bionic ears directionally towards the stage I was able to get most of what she was saying. It is pretty amazing that with MyPilot (remote control) in the palm of my hand and the touch of a button, I can rotate my ears like a cat.