Link: Technology Review: The Invisible Hearing Aid.
"Developed by Otologics, of Boulder, CO, the device picks up sound with a microphone implanted underneath the skin behind the user's ear. The signal is processed by electronics and sent to a tiny vibrating piston implanted against the small bones in the middle ear. The bones transmit the vibrations to the inner ear, which encodes them as nerve impulses and sends the information to the brain.
"You can have a more normal life," says Otologics's CEO José Bedoya. "You can be exposed to environments in which hearing aids have difficulty operating properly." He also suggests that implantation creates a psychological bond with the device that is life enhancing. "Individuals implanted with the system have said that it becomes a part of you–there's a greater sense of security."
The device is powered by a battery that is recharged when the user places a small radio transmitter against his or her head for 60 to 90 minutes. ...
