A ribbon-like implant could greatly improve hearing for deaf people and simplify insertion to help surgeons minimize damage to healthy ear tissue. A team of engineers led by Kensall Wise, director of the National Science Foundation's engineering research center for wireless integrated microsystems at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), made the implant using thin-film electrodes that stimulate the auditory nerve.
Approximately 100,000 patients today have received cochlear implants worldwide. However, Wise claims that the current technology is bulky and difficult for surgeons to insert. It also doesn't allow a great range of perceived frequencies.