Did you hear? System is totally implantable!
From: Medical Design - 4/29/2011
By: Rong Gan

Challenges associated with developing the ideal implantable hearing device
(fully implanted and acceptable by patients who are uncomfortable with
conventional hearing aids) are three-fold: 1) minimize risks to patient’s
hearing and nerves within the ear so that the driving system of the device
fits the restrictions of the middle ear size with life-time function
stability; 2) lower the costs associated with the development of the devices
as well as surgical implantation so that implantable hearing devices can be
compatible with conventional digital hearing aids in cost/benefit ratio; and
3) enhance efficacy of the device so that enough gain can be delivered to aid
severe hearing loss within limitations of the capacity and recharging cycles
of available batteries. 

These challenges, however, appear to have been met with a newly developed
totally implantable hearing system (TIHS) developed by a University of
Oklahoma research team. Feasibility studies show the system capable of
delivering acoustic vibrations to the middle ear ossicular chain or cochlea
with minimal energy loss and distortion. 

Read the entire article at:
http://medicaldesign.com/engineering-prototyping/research-development/system-totally-implantable-0411/

Links:
Oklahoma researcher Rong Gan has help for the hearing-impaired
http://www.hearing-aid-news.com/oklahoma-researcher-rong-gan-has-help-for-the-hearing-impaired/

Biomedical Engineering Lab
http://bmelab.ou.edu/

Total Implantable Hearing Device
http://bmelab.ou.edu/impt%20dvcs.htm

Rong Z. Gan
http://www.ou.edu/htdocs/cbn/faculty-and-research/faculty-and-research-areas/rong-z-gan/