A simple change to the design of ‘bionic ear’ implants dramatically improves the quality of sound they provide, say researchers in the US who have tested a prototype on cats.Around 100,000 people around the world have been fitted with conventional cochlear implants. These are built into the skull and tune into the signal produced by a wireless external microphone. The implant sits below the skin behind the ear and sends electrical signals to a set of electrodes coiled into the cochlear – the spiral organ in the ear that senses sound.
