Bionic Ear Research Amber Karras

What is the bionic ear? Discuss the history and

development of the bionic ear, from its inception until the
present day.
Graeme Clarks father had been deft and it was the first major
reason for Graeme to become interested in the ear and how
hearing works. When he was at the age of ten, Graeme told his
teachers he wanted to take up otorhinolaryngologists, which is a
person who studies otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat).
Meanwhile most of the other boys wanted to become steam train
drivers. Graeme top his medical classes, this lead him to continue
to keep being creative and making discoveries. During this time
Graeme read an article about some Americans who placed a wire
into someones ear and gave them partial hearing. With help of
this article Graeme wanted to continue his studies and research.
Everything that Graeme was doing was for the first time, they
didnt have prior knowledge or experience and they simply had to
Graeme Clark
figure things out on their own. The biggest problem with the
(Source University of Melbourne
bionic ear was trying to get the wire through the spiral part of the
ear; the wire just would go though. Graeme said that it took him
)
many hours to work this out. At the beach one day he noticed a
turban shell (which is a spiral shaped shell) and started threading
grasses though it pretending it was the wire though the ear. This lead to him thinking if the
wire was more like the grass (firm but flexible at the end) it would go through the inner part
of the ear better.
After finding that this would work, Graeme found that he didnt have anyone who he would
test his project on. Until one day someone he knew called Rod Saunders, came to his mind.
Rod had lost his hearing eighteen months prior and he was able to tell Graeme if the bionic
ear helped make the same sounds as what they used to be like. This was the case. 'When he
heard his first words I was just so overcome I went into the next door laboratory and wept for
joy.' (ABC 2004).
He never believed that he would go on to create the bionic ear, the same model as todays
bionic ear. I quote from an interview of Graeme on the ABC network in 2004, on the twentyseventh of April, I want to be someone, who helps on of the last founders of medicine.
Provide a detailed comparison of the bionic ear with the hearing aid.
Depending on your hearing (how deft you are) you can either get a hearing aid or a bionic
ear. The hearing aid helps to deliver an amplified sound to the damaged cochlea. Meanwhile
if you have a bionic ear you were either born without hearing or have completely lost it.
Hearing aids do a lot of processing; it takes a while for the sound to get from your ear to the
vestibulocochlear nerve. They help reduce the amount of you take in. If someone was to yell
in your ear it would be much easier to hear. The hearing aid helps to send messages to a
damaged cochlea. The bionic ear is a better option as you will receive and hear sounds much
earlier and easier than the hearing aid.
Identify any other names that have been assigned to the bionic ear and explain
the reasons for these other names.
The bionic ear is also been called the cochlear implant. This name has been assigned as the
implant of the bionic ear is implanted inside the ear. The main part of the bionic ear is inside
of the cochlea which is snail shaped like the turban shell. Therefore this is why it is named
the cochlear implant.

Bionic Ear Research Amber Karras

Provide a detailed explanation of the function of the function of the bionic ear,
being sure to include scientific explanations involving sound and the physiology of
the ear (include annotated diagrams)

2. Ear drum and bones of hearing vibrate.

1. The sound waves though the ear canal and hit the eardrum.

4. Hearing nerve sends the informatio

3. Fluid moves though the inner ear

Normal hearing process

2. The processor takes the digital code to the coil implant.

The the
electrical
stimulate
hearing
1. The sound is captured in a processor and4.then
soundsimpulses
are created
into a the
digital
code.nerve, which th

3. In the implant it converts the digital co

Bionic ear Process

Bionic Ear Research Amber Karras

In the first diagram you can see how the sound waves get though from your ear to your
brain. The sound waves firstly go through the ear canal and then hit the eardrum. The sound
waves make the eardrum and the three bones (which are called ossicles) in the ear, to
vibrate. The vibrations then move though the fluid in the spiral shape in your ear (that is
known as the cochlea), it causes the tiny hair cells in the cochlea to move. The hair
movement changes into chemical signals, tell the hearing nerve (which is called the
vestibulocochlear nerve) to send messages to the brain. From there the hearing nerve
sends message to the brain, which then they are interpreted as sounds. This is the normal
process of how the normal ear hears.
Meanwhile the bionic ear has a similar but different process. The bionic ear has little parts
throughout the ear, as well as a little part behind the ear which helps it stay in place. To
begin with the sound waves go through a little black box, which is called a sound processor
that takes sounds and coverts it into digital codes. It then sends the code though the coil to
the main implant of the bionic ear. This implant converts the code and makes it into an
electrical impulse that gets sent into the cochlea. The implant stimulates the cochleas
hearing nerve, which then sends the messages to the brain. The bionic ear is a digital
version of the normal hearing process; it helps assist the people whose bodies are not
capable of doing that. The implant is placed inside the inner ear and it helps to stimulate the
hearing nerves, which the body is incapable of.
Explain how the development of the ear has improved peoples lives and outline
any proposed or desirable future development in the technology involved.
The bionic ear has improved peoples lives by a massive amount. Just like Rod Saunders, the
man who lost his hearing eighteen months before Graeme tested his bionic ear on him. Rod
was now able to hear again. Many people like Rod are able to get their hearing back and for
some a miracle can happen, they are able to hear for the first time. Just like one of the most
watched videos on YouTube. It is under the name 29 years old and hearing myself for the 1st
time! it has twenty-six million views on YouTube. The first time Sarah Churman heard her
own voice, she was 29 years old. She smiled, laughed, and the tears followed. I dont want
to hear myself cry, she said, covering her mouth. Which lead to, my laughter sounds so
loud! This video was uploaded on 26 Sep 2011. Many people have also posted videos of
them hearing for the first time and it has all been because of Graeme Clarke, the man who
created this marvellous invention.
Bibliography
Content for schools, Information for school students, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016
http://www.bionicsinstitute.org/get_involved/Pages/content-for-schools.aspx
Of Innovation, History, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016
http://www.cochlear.com/wps/wcm/connect/au/about/company-history
Australian inventor of the 'bionic ear' conducts the world's first cochlear implant operation,
80 Days That Changed Our Lives, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016
http://www.abc.net.au/archives/80days/stories/2012/01/19/3411629.htm
Business Insider Australia, How Bionic Ears Have Changed People's Lives, August 11,
2014, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016 http://www.businessinsider.com.au/life-changingcochlear-implants-2014-8

Bionic Ear Research Amber Karras

To access the video of the deft girl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsOo3jzkhYA
www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman
Ng Aid., Bionics Institute, Bionic Ear, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016
http://www.bionicsinstitute.org/publications/Documents/FactSheet_BionicEar.pdf
The University of Melbourne, Australia, Where Your Future Collides With Today, Date
Accessed: May 14, 2016 http://alumni.news.unimelb.edu.au/professor-graeme-clark-acawarded-zotterman-medal-nobel-institute-neurophysiology
KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about childrens health (or) The Nemours
Foundation, Cochlear Implants, Date Accessed: May 14, 2016
http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cochlear.html