What is a cochlear implant?
It is a small electronic device which enables people who are profoundly deaf or severely
hard of hearing to gain a sense of sound. The cochlear implant has two parts, one sits
behind the ear and the other is surgically implanted under the skin.
hard of hearing to gain a sense of sound. The cochlear implant has two parts, one sits
behind the ear and the other is surgically implanted under the skin.
Parts of a cochlear implant and what they do.
1-Electrode Array- group of electrodes(are implanted in the cochlea) that collect impulses from the stimulator and sends them to the different regions of the auditory nerve
2-Receiver for electrode array and 4-Transmitting Coil- takes signals from the speech processor and converts them into electric impulses and sends them through the skin to the electrode array
3-Speech processor - selects and arranges the sound picked up from microphone( can be worn behind the ear or body worn) it is like a small computer.
5- Microphone - picks up sound from the environment
2-Receiver for electrode array and 4-Transmitting Coil- takes signals from the speech processor and converts them into electric impulses and sends them through the skin to the electrode array
3-Speech processor - selects and arranges the sound picked up from microphone( can be worn behind the ear or body worn) it is like a small computer.
5- Microphone - picks up sound from the environment
Who invented the cochlear implant?
Professor Graeme Clark from the University of Melbourne, Australia is considered “the
father” of the cochlear implant. He worked with a team to develop the implant in mid
1978. He was inspired by his deaf father and Louis Pasteur.
Adam Kissiah, a NASA engineer, also designed a cochlear implant that is still used
today. He had no medical background.
In 1991 Blake Wilson made improvements to the cochlear implant to improve the
clarity of the sound.