Optical Cochlear Implant Turns Light against Hearing Loss
From: IEEE Spectrum - 11/21/2017
By: Michael Dumiak

The hearing impaired might soon pick up sounds generated by pulses of light.
In an experimental device, an array of near-infrared lasers heats the fluid
within the cochlear canals in the inner ear, stimulating tiny hair cells
located there. This, in turn, sends a signal along the auditory nerve which
the brain understands as sound.

An array of near-infrared lasers can produce a soundwave using what’s called
the optoacoustic effect, the researchers believe. In their device, tiny
vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers, which pulsate light at a spectrum of
1.4 to 1.9 microns, act upon the fluid within the nautilus-shaped cochlear
canals in the inner ear.

Basically, the infrared light is absorbed by the liquid inside the cochlea. A
small fraction of the liquid will expand due to heat. If that happens rapidly
enough, it generates a soundwave inside the duct of the cochlea. This
stimulates or moves tiny hair cells located there, which in turn sends a
signal along the auditory nerve which the brain understands as sound.

Read the entire article at:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/turning-light-into-a-tool-against-hearing-loss

Link:
ACTive Implant for Optoacoustic Natural sound enhancement
http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/110222_en.html

Related:
A Hearing Device with No Stigmatizing External Hardware
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/devices/a-cochlear-implant-with-no-stigmatizing-external-hardware

Deep Learning Reinvents the Hearing Aid
https://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/audiovideo/deep-learning-reinvents-the-hearing-aid

Trouble Hearing in a Noisy Room? There’s an App for That
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/trouble-hearing-in-a-noisy-room-theres-an-app-for-that