Cochlear implants are implantable devices designed to provide sound detection and speech recognition for people who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids.

Cochlear Implant Basic Information - How a Cochlear Implant Differs from a Hearing Aid

A hearing aid amplifies an acoustic signal, making it louder. The amplified signal travels down the ear canal, taking the normal route of transmission to the inner ear.

Video clip courtesy of Cochlear Corporation.

A cochlear implant converts acoustic sounds into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is applied directly to the cochlea, so it bypasses the outer and middle ear. Cochlear implant recipients who had normal hearing at one time in their life report that sound through a cochlear implant is different than normal hearing. However, over time, they often say that speech begins to sound more like the way they remembered it.

Video clip courtesy of Cochlear Corporation.