As CI criteria expand, the focus has shifted from simple placement to preserving delicate intracochlear structures and residual hearing. iotaSOFT® is the first and only FDA-cleared robotic-assisted cochlear implant electrode array insertion system designed to reduce trauma in patients 4 years and older.
Recent data indicate that robotic-assisted insertion is superior in maintaining long-term, stable hearing across different manufacturers, with an 85% hearing preservation rate compared to 71% in manual cases (Khan et al. 2026).
Join our course to explore how the iotaSOFT system: Standardizes the most critical surgical step with sub-millimeter precision, delivers superior, long-term hearing outcomes, and drives program growth by transforming patient apprehension into action.
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to describe the iotaSOFT system, pediatric and adult indications and intra-operative use
- After this course, participants will be able to explain the difference in outcomes between robotic and manual insertions, leveraging recent data and publications
- After this course, participants will be able to identify how, when and where to appropriately counsel, evaluate or refer patients 4 years and older for an iotaSOFT CI procedure
Agenda
| 0-5 Minutes | Introduction, Course Overview and Presenter Introduction |
| 5-25 Minutes | Why a robot? Why now? Founders, Development Timeline, Centers, Company Overview, Product Overview including Indications/FDA-Clearance and patient demographics. |
| 25-40 Minutes | Review: insertion forces, intra-cochlear trauma, objective and peer-reviewed manual vs robotic insertion + recent publications on patient outcomes - including survey data on patients switching CI providers to access ro |
| 40-55 Minutes | Review the patient journey and roadblocks to implantation. Clinical data presented earlier will be modeled from the counseling lens making complicated science, patient-friendly. 2 short patient-facing videos will be shared. |
| 55-60 Minutes | Conclusions, Q&A |
Presented By
Alyson Schapira
AuD
Alyson Schapira, Au.D., CCC-A received both her graduate and undergraduate training from University of Maryland, College Park. After completing her doctoral externship at UNC Health in 2021, she started working in industry and has been there since. During her time at University of Maryland, she was lead research assistant on an NIH-funded P1 grant, where she studied the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of aging on auditory processing. Alyson also completed her own , separately funded Capstone project on how regular listening to time compressed speech affects auditory processing in older and younger adults. Clinically, her interests have always been cochlear implants and vestibular assessment and diagnosis.
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Financial: Alyson Schapira is employed by Iotamotion. Non-financial: Alyson Schapira has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by iotaMotion, Inc. in partnership with AudiologyOnline.
Content Disclosure: This learning event focuses on iotaMotion, Inc. products and services and will not include info on other products or services.
Course participation information
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