The vision of the ACS Cochlear
Implant System under development includes pioneering technological
development in three key areas:
- Novel Processor
Technologies that encode sound in a completely new way,
enabling highly parallel, sophisticated methods of cochlear
stimulation never used in cochlear implants
- A unique Transcutaneous
Optical Data Link to rapidly transfer this complex stream of
sound information to the implant and monitor its operation
- A High-Density Electrode
Array with more than three times the number of contacts
found in current systems, making it possible to stimulate
auditory neurons with previously unattainable precision
The combination of these
technologies is designed to deliver 100 to 1000 times more detailed
sound detail than possible with available systems. Our goal is
not to incrementally improve current cochlear implant technology,
but rather to define a new standard for hearing performance.
These technologies, covered by
patents granted and pending, are in various stages of development and have not been
approved by the Food and Drug Administration for investigational use
with humans.
