Search
Menu
Gentec Electro-Optics Inc   - Measure With Gentec Accuracy LB

Aculight Awarded Contract to Develop Optical Cochlear Implant

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Laser technology developer Aculight Corp. has been awarded a $750,000 SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase II grant from the National Institutes of Health for its project with Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., to develop an optical cochlear implant (OCI). "We're laying the foundation for a laser-based cochlear implant that provides users with dramatically improved fidelity over current electrical implants," said Mark Bendett, Aculight's director of medical products. The OCI produced will be used in research studies at Northwestern prior to being developed for clinical applications, he said. Electrical implants have problems stimulating specific nerves inside the cochlea because the electrical signals spread due to the body's wet, salty composition. Techniques to mitigate the problems still result in an imperfect simulation of normal hearing, Aculight said. Optically-based cochlear implants could stimulate nerve fibers more accurately because optical pulses in different places on the nerve wouldn't interfere with each other. As a result, Aculight said, users could experience a level of hearing unachievable with current technology, one that would allow them to listen to the subtle tones and nuances in music or distinguish a single voice in a noisy room. "And because an OCI can complement residual hearing, implants wouldn't need to be restricted to the profoundly deaf like they are today. There would be a much larger pool of people that we could help," said Bendett. Aculight said it will make the OCI, along with its infrared neural stimulator the Capella R-1850, at its facility in Bothell, Wash. Aculight will feature its neural stimulation technology at Neuroscience 2007 in San Diego, Calif., Nov. 3-7, Booth 3823.
Rocky Mountain Instruments - Custom Assemblies MR


Published: October 2007
Glossary
infrared
Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of microwaves. The infrared spectrum spans wavelengths roughly between 700 nanometers (nm) and 1 millimeter (mm). It is divided into three main subcategories: Near-infrared (NIR): Wavelengths from approximately 700 nm to 1.4 micrometers (µm). Near-infrared light is often used in telecommunications, as well as in various imaging and sensing...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
AculightBiophotonicsCapella R-1850Claus RichtercochlearimplantinfraredMark BendettNational Institutes of Healthnerveneural stimulationNeuroscience 2007News Briefsoptical cochlear implantphotonicsPhotonics Tech BriefsSBIRLasers

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.