The multifunctional cochlea implant 



Photo: rendering of the cochlea hair cells (green) responding to external wavelengths

Hearing is the fastest sense; our ears conversion of external wavelengths to electrical impulses and signals for the auditory nerve and eventually the brain happens in 0.05 seconds—ten times faster than the blink of an eye. [1] In addition to our rapid interpretation and perception of these external waves, the subtle variations that occur in sound are picked up in "less than a millionth of a second." [2] In our culture of personalization, it's interesting to imagine a world where we could take advantage of this remarkable hearing process by customizing the intake of audio content, specifically music. 

The way in which we consume music has historically fluctuated; the popular digital format in high circulation today (.mp3, .wav, etc.) is only the latest permutation of commodified audio. The next breakthrough in audio will likely occur parallel to an emerging technology, but what if this breakthrough took shape in a different way? What if a musicians pre-recorded track could be interpreted in a variety of different ways without altering the song or the recording process?


Photo: Imagining a man using the implant paired with headphones

The technology I'm proposing is a modified cochlear implant that mediates the interpretation of internal sounds through an external interface, like an app on your smartphone or smartwatch. The device functions by modifying the cochlea in our inner ear and triggering different surfaces of the pea-sized, spiral organ. [3] External "sounds" or wavelengths are passed through the outer ear and into the cochlear implant, but instead of the natural conversion that would occur between the cochlea and the brain, the user can control, modify and distort the sound to trigger different regions of the cochlea, thus altering the electric signals that are sent to the brain and perceived as sound.




Photo: rendering of correlation between different frequencies and areas of the cochlea

In a flourishing music industry—generating more than 47 billion (USD) per year [4]—musicians and producers could profit greatly from a device like this by adding depth to any given track. A single record could potentially come with a set of instructions informing the listener on how to fine-tune their implant to achieve different sounds. Outside of the music industry, other markets exist for a product like this. New parents for example—fatigued by constant crying—could benefit from altering the frequencies of their baby's screams. Without blocking the sounds altogether, the device could restore peace to the environment and still allow parents to sense the noise their child is making.

If a cochlea implant like this could add a layer of uncharted terrain to a booming creative industry, and provide a solution for individuals adjusting to parenthood, the permutations of the device are endless. The cochlea is a remarkable organ, and imitating it's capabilities could lead to serious breakthroughs in a variety of different markets.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 1. “The Speed of Hearing.” The MED-EL Blog, The MED-EL Blog, 12 Nov. 2015, blog.medel.com/the-speed-of-hearing/.

Davis, Josh. “Scientists Have Reconstructed The Hearing Abilities Of Our Ancestors.” IFLScience, IFLScience, 15 Aug. 2016, www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/reconstructing-hearing-ability-2-million-year-old-hominins-shows-some-important/.

 2. Horowitz, Seth S. The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind. Bloomsbury, 2012

 3. “The Inner Ear.” The MED-EL Blog, The MED-EL Blog, 16 Nov. 2015, blog.medel.com/5-amazing-facts-about-cochlea/.

 4. Fuller, Steve. “Topic: Music Industry.” Www.statista.com, www.statista.com/topics/1639/music/.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
The Taste Buddy: A multivitamin that works naturally to preserve your sense of taste  Illustration: Quentin Monge Taste is a powerful sensory experience. When paired with smell, it's a sensation that can motivate and elicit a strong emotional reaction—good or bad. Like other senses, taste begins to dull as we grow older; the average newborn has 9,000 taste buds, but it's possible that up to 4,000 of these sensory clusters could fade over the span of a few decades.[1] If you're the kind of person who believes taste is one of the most powerful and potent senses, wouldn't you want to preserve this sensation for as long as possible? What if there were a way to keep all of your taste buds working at a peak performance well into your adult life?  Photo: Different areas of the tongue and different tastes plotted. Introducing a holistic approach to taste preservation: the Taste Buddy, a multivitamin taken once daily that includes an arsenal of vitamins and mine...
Read more
Image
The Athlete of the future Photo: The key to the smart mouth guard was the use of  uricase , an enzyme that specifically reacts with uric acid. (Photo courtesy of  UC  San Diego) Athletes lead a very organized lifestyle ripe with detailed workout routines, strict diets, and other types of conditioning geared towards their sport. As athletes advance in their careers, various sensing technologies are implemented to regulate their progression. Wearable, fitness-tracking technology is a bourgeoning industry, but what if there were a way to replace the apps, wires, and other sensing technologies with something more subtle and more efficient? Consider a Fitbit watch or health app that's always connected, and instead of toggling through a screen to get your information, you can customize the data to be received on any device you please. A small, implanted monitoring device  could advise the individual of their diet, routine, and upcoming activities without the user h...
Read more