MP3 Player for the Deaf

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An MP3 player for the deaf

a.. Kanellos

b.. 1 comment

In a twist of fate, Sandy Mintz, an audiologist with medical device designer

Advanced Bionics, lost her hearing about 10 years ago. Now, she is working

with Samsung to help develop a wireless MP3 system so the deaf can enjoy

music.

Sandy Mintz wears the processor that captures

audio and translates it into digital signals.

(Credit: Kanellos)

The idea is to link a Samsung MP3 player to the cochlear implant developed

and sold by Advanced Bionics, which is a division of Boston Scientific. The

cochlear implant consists of a processor worn outside the ear. The processor

converts audio streams from the MP3 player (as well as ambient sounds and

human speech) into digital data. The data then goes to another chip,

implanted in a person's skull, which translates the data into electrical

impulses.

The electrical impulses are then passed down an electrode, which stimulates

a nerve that makes the brain create music. It stimulates the nerve in the

same way the nerve is stimulated in people with hearing. The implant system

effectively bypasses the damaged tissue. (The picture which looks like two

batteries in a person's hand is the implant that goes in the patient's

skull. The electrode is the thin strand.)

The implant that goes into patient's skull.

(Credit: Kanellos)

For conversations, the implant works great. " I couldn't use a voice phone

for 10 years. Three days after I had it put in I talked to my dad on the

phone, " Mintz said at CES.

The trick now is to optimize the system for music. Getting the pitch and

frequency of music is difficult. " You have to fine tune it, " she said.

Wireless is also a challenge. One idea is to link the external ear piece

with the MP3 player through Bluetooth.

So far, the results are promising, and Samsung is seeking FDA approval.