History of Rion Medical Equipment

Precise and quick diagnosis test with the latest technology
Rion medical equipments support the diagnostic technology, to cooperate with medical field.

Development of the medical diagnosis/test equipment for hearing ability, "Audiometer" to support the treatment of hearing loss by cooperating with the medical field.

To solve problems of hearing-impaired people, medical equipments are essential for precise diagnosis of hearing loss in the medical institutions like hospitals and clinic, with using hearing instruments.
The Law for the Welfare of People with Physically Disabled was enforced in Japan in 1949, according to increasing the people's interest in hearing loss, "Audiometer" for diagnosis of hearing was required from medical institutions. For meeting such requirements, Rion, with cooperation by Kobayasi Institute of Physical Research and Tokyo University, manufactured a trial product in 1952, and introduced to the market.
Rion continuously have been developing audiometers with latest technology and for users' easy operation, with collaborated studies with Japan Audiological Society.

Rion's first Audiometer "A-1001" (1952)

Rion Audiometer with high evaluation, reliance and support by the medical institutions.
Continuous advancement is the mission of Rion.

Audiometer has been advanced to high-performance and easy operation with the latest technologies in every stages of time, which started with radio valve and through transistor, microcomputer, LSI, card PC etc. Now Rion audiometers support the diagnosis and test in the medical institutions in Japan, such as university hospitals, ENT clinics etc., with its variety of product lines, for example, audiometer compatible with electronic medical records system. Rion keeps advanced functions, product qualities for daily diagnosis/test in medical field and maintenance network in Japan, and it is the reason that Rion audiometers could have the good evaluation, reliance and support from the users.

Transistorized Audiometer "AA-34" (1967)

For the occupational health field,
Rion audiometers for companies' medical examination.

In the 1980s, hearing impairments of the people working in noisy circumstance was made an issue of social problem. For this problem, Rion developed the audiometer with the latest IC technology which can be used in offices without the professional specialist, in 1981. Further, according to the enforcement of Industrial Safety and Health Law, the needs of hearing test were increased.
Rion audiometers have been advanced to meet such needs, with miniaturizing and new function like environmental noise monitoring etc.. Such efforts could make the good evaluation about user friendliness and reliance by the users, and Rion audiometers have used for medical examination in many companies and contributed for prevention and early detection of hearing loss.

Audiometer "AA-92" (1981)

The first Impedance Audiometer to test the middle ear function manufactured in Japan

Impedance audiometry test, which measures acoustic impedance of middle ear, came into wide use in Europe and USA in 1970s. After introducing the impedance audiometer made in USA as importing, Rion developed the first impedance audiometer RS-06 to meet the strong demands by medical institutions in Japan in 1981. Further, RS-30 for the market was launched the next year.
Rion Impedance audiometers have been used in the medical institutions as a kind of standard equipment in Japan.

The first Impedance audiometer manufactured in Japan "RS-06" (1981)

The advanced testing/diagnosis equipments by Rion
Supporting ENT medical institutions

Rion has developed, manufactured and sold various testing/diagnosis equipments to meet the needs by medical institutions of audiology and ENT in Japan, such as electronystagmographs for dizziness, tubal function testing equipment, testing equipment for tinnitus, evoked response audiometry testing equipment, etc..
These equipments have supported the diagnosis and tests in audiology and ENT medical fields.

Tubal function testing equipment "JK-04" (1996)

Essential collaboration and cooperation with ENT and obstetrics fields
Contribution for hearing loss of children and babies

It is the strong demands by society to find the hearing loss of children and babies as early as possible, because hearing loss produces effects on speech affects the speech ability and brain development. But it is a fact that Audiometers cannot be used for infants.
Rion has introduced the testing/diagnosis equipments for children and babies, such like ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) testing/diagnosis equipment, and supported the auditory screening test for newborn babies and diagnosis for hearing loss of infants.

OAE screener "ER-33"(2000)