25 July 2022
The world’s first multichannel cochlear implant was first developed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982, through a collaboration between an audiologist, a professor and two surgeons. This life-altering technology would go on to become a global solution for those suffering moderately severe to profound hearing loss.
This remarkable device is discreetly implanted inside the cochlea and works with an external speech processor that transmits sound to the internal implant.
Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound, cochlear implants bypass damaged hair cells in the cochlea and directly stimulate the hearing nerve.
A cochlear implant consists of two main components: the internal implant, which is placed inside the cochlea organ during surgery, and the external processor, which can be worn on or off the ear. The processor contains a coil that sends power and information to the internal device, held in place by a small magnet that aligns with the implant’s internal magnet.
When sound is picked up by the microphones on the processor, it is converted to a digital signal which is transmitted across the skin to the internal implant. The implant then converts this signal to electrical pulses which travel down the electrode lead to the electrode array inside the cochlea. These pulses stimulate the hearing nerve, which sends information to the brain for interpretation.