Patent ID: 8843217

Claim:
An apparatus for stimulating nerve-action potentials (NAPs) in each one of a plurality of cochlear neurons in a cochlea of a person and in each one of a plurality of vestibular neurons in a vestibular organ of the person in order to provide auditory and balance sensations for the person, the apparatus comprising: a cochlear-implant portion, wherein the cochlear-implant portion includes: a first plurality of independently controllable light sources that are configured to generate a first plurality of light signals, including a first light signal and a second light signal, that, when applied to a selected one of the plurality of cochlear neurons, each stimulate a nerve action potential (NAP) in the selected cochlear neuron, and a first transmission medium configured to be inserted into the cochlea and to transmit the first plurality of light signals from the first plurality of light sources to the selected cochlear neuron from inside the cochlea in order to trigger NAPs in the selected cochlear neuron; a vestibular-implant portion, wherein the vestibular-implant portion includes: a second plurality of independently controllable light sources that are configured to generate a second plurality of light signals, including a third light signal and a fourth light signal, that, when applied to a selected one of the plurality of vestibular neurons of a vestibular system of the person, each stimulate a nerve action potential (NAP) in the selected vestibular neuron, and a second transmission medium configured to transmit the second plurality of light signals from the second plurality of light sources to the selected vestibular neuron in order to trigger NAPs in the selected vestibular neuron; and a controller operatively coupled to the cochlear-implant portion to selectively control the first plurality of light signals from each of the first plurality of light sources such that the first plurality of light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the selected cochlear neuron in order to trigger nerve action potentials (NAPs) produced by the selected cochlear neuron, and wherein the controller is also operatively coupled to the vestibular-implant portion to selectively control the second plurality of light signals from each of the second plurality of light sources such that the second plurality of light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the selected vestibular neuron in order to trigger nerve action potentials (NAPs) produced by the selected vestibular neuron.