الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Cochlear implants are the first true bionic sense organs. The human cochlea is an electromechanical transducer. Cochlear implants, like other human hair cell, receive mechanical sound energy and convert it into a series of electrical impulses. The history of cochlear implantation begins with the use of electricity to stimulate the ear in an attempt to produce a sound sensation. In 1790, Alessandro Volta first reported that electrical stimulation to metal rods inserted in his ear canal created an auditory sensation. He described this sensation as “a boom within the head.”. The first single channel cochlear implant was introduced in 1972. Over 1000 people were implanted from 1972 to the mid 1980s including several hundred children. This early single channel device, the 3M/ House cochlear implant was well tolerated and provided many users with significant speech reading enhancement. Additionally, some individuals enjoyed limited open set word recognition. Since that time, a great deal of research has been dedicated to improving the design of the implant system, identifying the best intracochlear array and stimulation mode, refining the processing strategies available and miniaturizing both the external and internal hardware. |