Analog Over Digital? For a Better Ear Plant, Yes

May 28, 2003 | Source: New York Times

A acoustic processing chip that consumes only half a milliwatt, or one-tenth of the processing power of current devices, has recently been created and could be suitable for next-generation cochlear devices that are fully implanted. “Cochlear implants,” although they are called implants, still lie mainly outside the ear.

Researchers hope that one day the entire apparatus, which is designed to stimulate the auditory nerves of people who have lost or damaged cells in the cochlea, can be implanted in the body.