Technologies

A method of stimulating the cochlea and vestibular system using targeted magnetic fields

Background: Cochlear implants simulate the auditory nerve and provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. More than 45,000 are sold annually and the demand is predicted to grow steadily over time due to an aging global population, increased diagnosis of acquired hearing loss, improvements in cochlear implant technology, and significant potential growth in emerging markets. Current technologies can be improved in terms of sound quality, tissue reaction, and production costs.

Technology: Inventors from Georgia Tech have created an implantable array as well as developed a method of stimulating the cochlea and vestibular system using targeted magnetic fields. The device induces a magnetic field in the surrounding tissue and excites neurons to stimulate peripheral processes without mechanical transduction. It will be able to communicate with other systems such as external microphones and speech processors as well as enable a sense of hearing by exciting the spatial areas currently not receiving stimulation through sound vibrations.