Amplifying the Human Experience with Cochlear Implants

Recently the FDA has approved an improved commercial cochlear Implant: The Nucleus 8 sound processor by the company named Cochlear. With this, the technology becomes smaller, lighter, and this specific model adds Bluetooth compatibility. This is not a new technology by any means, the first form of this technology was implemented in 1961. In the beginning they were bulky units of technology that provided a needed service for the users. To this day units continue to decrease in size and increase in capability.

Who is the market for this procedure? Well it is people who have severe hearing loss to the point that standard hearing aids cannot provide them with enough support. An individual can even get partial surgeries so they can still use hearing aids after treatment.

It needs to be understood that these devices do not perfectly replicate sounds as those without hearing loss would hear them. The machine receives sound with the microphone that is on the outside piece of the unit, then it transforms it into an electrical signal that is attached to the inner bone of the ear. With therapy, users of this technology are able to auditorily understand more than previously capable.

More personally, I have a relative who is in need of this technology. She suffers from extreme hearing loss and she has explained that the hearing aids she currently uses are becoming less effective as time goes on. She would greatly benefit from technology like this in the future.

When discussing the book Neuromancer, we as a class briefly discussed how technology being added to our very bodies would impact society as a whole. Well here is a clear example of this concept being used to benefit people’s lives. People can choose whether or not they wish to have this procedure done and would receive aid based on their choice.

Here is the brief history of the cochlear implant:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/1688121#40915747

Some additional information on the technology:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007203.htm

Here is more information on the Cochlear’s Nucleus 8 Sound Processor:
https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/corporate/media-center/media-releases/2022/fda-approves-cochlear-nucleus-8-sound-processor?#:~:text=The%20Nucleus%208%20Sound%20Processor%20will%20be%20commercially%20available%20across,by%20the%20end%20of%202022.