Bionica Corp., a local startup [based in Providence] that is working to create a new category of “personal communications system” for the hearing-impaired, has attracted a $250,000 investment from the Slater Technology Fund.

Founded by Design Lab Inc. principals Ralph Beckman and Kipp Bradford, the company was incorporated in January 2006 but traces its origins to 2005.

Their first product, the Clio, is due out late next year. The device “will work equally well in multiple hearing environments, including the car, theater and restaurant,” the Slater Fund said in its announcement. “Proprietary software will separate speech from noise and contain several different hearing ‘programs’ for various environments.”