Some regain hearing with the help of a cochlear implant, a device that converts sound into electric pulses for deaf people with a functioning auditory nerve. The internal and external components of the device fulfill the role of a damaged inner ear by transmitting signals directly to the brain through the cochlea. How the ear works 1.
Sound waves funnel into the outer ear and travel down the ear canal to the eardrum.
The movement of these bones causes fluid in the cochlea to vibrate creating a ripple effect within the chambers of the cochlea. How the cochlear implant works 1. Sound is picked up by a small microphone that cradles the ear. A thin cord carries the sound to a miniature computer that filters, analyzes and digitizes the sound into coded signals. The device transmits signals to the cochlear implant under the skin that delivers electrical impulses to the array coiled around the cochlea.