‘Clarion’ implant hearing aid system, including cochlear implant with stimulator/ receiver and connected electrode array, ear mounted speech processor with head-mounted transmitter, speech/ sound-processor receiver, and speech/ sound processor unit with removable clothes mount, by Advanced Bionics, Sylmar, California, USA, 1999.

The only way to regain some hearing for many people who are severely or almost completely deaf is a cochlear implant. This surgically implanted electronic device picks up sound using an external microphone. Cochlear implants electrically stimulate the auditory nerve, bypassing the inner ear. They consist of three parts: the internal component implanted in the ear, the headpiece worn behind the ear, and the external speech processor usually worn attached to a belt. Some people in the deaf community argue cochlear implants ‘normalise’ people with hearing loss. This example was developed by Advanced Bionics UK Limited.