Electrochemical study of potential materials for cochlear implant electrode array (abstract)

Cochlear implants (CIs) are commonly accepted therapeutic devices for clinical use and have restored hearing to more than 230,000 profoundly deaf people. CI devices consists of an external part comprising a speech processor (DSP) a microphone which together receive and convert the sound into a digital data stream using a speech processing strategy. The digital data is then transferred via an RF link to the internal part, viz. the receiver-stimulator package, which receives power and decodes the instructions for controlling the electrical stimulation via a multichannel electrode array placed inside the cochlea, giving a rich and natural perception of sound [Fig.1]