A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new generation of cochlear implants that could work wirelessly.
A wireless hearing implant, which can be recharged with a mobile phone. It is not the brainchild of a science fiction writer but a prototype currently being developed by the very serious MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Researchers are currently developing a new generation cochlear implant: this medical device which electrically stimulates the auditory nerve could one day operate over Wi-Fi. A first version was presented on February 9 at the Congress of the International Solid-State Circuits.
Cochlear implants replace sensory cilia. An electrode is placed at the back of the ear to pick up outside sounds. They are then translated into electrical signals up to the auditory nerve. Recently awarded the Lasker Prize, the device is no less bulky. In addition to the electrode, a 3cm diameter disc-shaped transmitter is attached to the ear, and a wire connects it to a power source that looks like a hearing aid.
A phone becomes the charger
MIT researchers have developed an energy-efficient chip that sends the same signals as the electrode in the cochlear implant. Its strong point: it works wirelessly and can be recharged remotely. Used as a cochlear implant, it will eliminate the transmitter and recharging because everything works wirelessly. Another innovation: it uses the natural “microphone” of the middle ear instead of picking up outside noise. In most cases, patients who need an implant do not have a problem with their middle ear.
Concretely, such an implant would recharge in a few minutes for an autonomy of up to eight hours. The researchers also presented a prototype charger compatible with a standard mobile phone. “The idea with this product is that you can use a phone, with an adapter, to charge your cochlear implant, so you don’t have to be plugged in. You can also imagine a smart pillow, to charge overnight, and the next day it works, ”anticipates Anantha Chandrakasan, who participated in the development of the product. So far, the product has only been tested on four patients. It will therefore take a few more years of research to arrive at a viable and reliable device.
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