What are Cochlear Implants?

Cochlear implants are electronic medical devices that aims to replace the damaged inner ear. More specifically, they function as a simpler cochlea that processes sounds and turns them into electronic signals, which can then be sent to the brain as perceptions of sound.

The cochlear implant consists of:

• A sound processor
  • Worn behind the ear or on the body
  • Captures sound through a microphone and turns it into digital code
  • Sends the digital code to the implanted receiver through the transmitter system
• An implant
  • Converts the digital code into electrical impulses
  • Sends the electrical impulses to the implanted electrode in the cochlea
  • Stimulates the auditory nerve, which interprets the electrical impulses as sounds