Humanoid robot Rex, currently visiting the London Science Museum, sports a pair of cochlear implants among many other technological marvels. Since there is nothing biological about him (it), he isn’t truly bionic. Read for yourself, and decide whether he falls into the bionic or robotic category.
Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old teen shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban, has undergone surgery to reconstruct her skull and to receive a cochlear implant. Read about it here, and listen to her speak in English about her experience and surgery.
Advanced Bionics’ new HiFocus Mid-Scala electrode array has received European approval from the TÜV regulatory agency.
Read the press release!
Edit: Although the referenced article was published in February 2013, Ms. Whitestone (now Ms. Whitestone McCallum) received her first cochlear implant in 2002. The numbers and costs listed in the article are correspondingly out of date.
In 1995 Heather Whitestone became the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America. Now she’s the first Miss America alum to get a cochlear implant. Read more with Dr. Donnica!
The Advanced Bionics web site now has pictures and information about the new processor. The DuoPhone feature from Phonak, illustrated above, allow bilateral and bimodal users to hold the phone up to one side, and have the sound streamed wirelessly to the other.
Another picture from the site shows a disposable battery option. The flyer lists four options.
Stay tuned to CochlearimplantHELP for news about the new processor as it becomes available!
Check out this spectacular animation of how the normal ear works! There are no captions. The automated captions are pretty funny when they try to guess the medical terms.
Advanced Bionics leaks a bit more about programs for the new BTE processor. It looks like you can get an implant now, and get the latest processor when it becomes available this summer in the US.
Look for the ‘Answering the Call‘ page on Advanced Bionics’ web site, and fill out the form for more information!
If you are planning to attend Cochlear Celebration in February, make sure to pack a Nammu Swim Hat! Nammu is offering a 20% discount with the code CochlearCelebration. Order soon to make sure it arrives from Canada before you leave!
Lexi Grafe
Congratulations to the 2013 Graeme Clark Scholarship Winners!
Some details about the scholarship:
Entries for next year’s scholarship will be accepted beginning in March 2013. Check here for details!
L.A.-based House Research Institute and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approval to begin a clinical trial of an Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) procedure for children.
See the full press release.
cochlear implant HELP 