{"247721":{"#nid":"247721","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Implant May Provide Clearer, Richer Sound","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E(This multimedia piece, written and produced by Ann Kellan and Miles O\u0027Brien of \u003C\/em\u003EScience Nation\u003Cem\u003E, features work led by Pamela T. Bhatti, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.science360.gov\/obj\/video\/932baa2b-d502-40ac-807c-c5aa3946b7e6\/new-implant-provide-clearer-richer-sound-people-deaf\u0022\u003EView the video here\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe cochlear implant is widely considered to be the most successful neural prosthetic on the market. The implant, which helps individuals who are deaf perceive sound, translates auditory information into electrical signals that go directly to the brain, bypassing cells that don\u0027t serve this function as they should because they are damaged.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants since these devices were introduced in the early 1980s, including roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children in the United States. Despite their prevalence, cochlear implants have a long way to go before their performance is comparable to that of the intact human ear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELed by engineer Pamela Bhatti at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a team of researchers at both Georgia Tech and the Georgia Regents University created a new type of interface between the device and the brain that could dramatically improve the sound quality of the next generation of implants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith funding from NSF, Bhatti and her team have developed a new, thin-film electrode array that is up to three times more sensitive than traditional wire electrodes, without adding bulk. Unlike wire electrodes, the new array is also flexible, meaning it can get closer to the inner wall of the cochlea. The researchers believe the new design will create better coupling between the array and the nervous system, leading to a crisper signal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research in this episode was supported by NSF award \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=1055801\u0022\u003E#1055801\u003C\/a\u003E, a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program award for an ultra-low-power, MEMS-based, implantable biosystem for restoring vestibular function-platform for an integrated, human-centered, hybrid biosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis piece was produced by the National Science Foundation Science 360 News Service. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.science360.gov\/obj\/video\/932baa2b-d502-40ac-807c-c5aa3946b7e6\/new-implant-provide-clearer-richer-sound-people-deaf\u0022\u003EView the video.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELed by ECE Assistant Professor Pamela Bhatti, researchers are developing a device that could improve sound quality offered by cochlear implants.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Led by ECE Assistant Professor Pamela Bhatti, researchers are developing a device that could improve sound quality offered by cochlear implants."}],"uid":"27241","created_gmt":"2013-10-21 17:14:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:09","author":"Jackie Nemeth","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"200291":{"id":"200291","type":"image","title":"Pamela Bhatti  with cochlear implant","body":null,"created":"1449179934","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:54","changed":"1475894853","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:33","alt":"Pamela Bhatti  with cochlear implant","file":{"fid":"196549","name":"bhatti-hearing.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bhatti-hearing_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bhatti-hearing_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1126430,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bhatti-hearing_0.jpg?itok=a-bYRowS"}}},"media_ids":["200291"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/news.science360.gov\/obj\/video\/932baa2b-d502-40ac-807c-c5aa3946b7e6\/new-implant-provide-clearer-richer-sound-people-deaf","title":"Science 360 story"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/faculty-staff\/fac_profiles\/bio.php?id=150","title":"Pamela Bhatti"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/index.html","title":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech"},{"url":"http:\/\/nsf.gov\/","title":"National Science Foundation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1255","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"},{"id":"12070","name":"Pamela Bhatti"},{"id":"166855","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJackie Nemeth\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-2906\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}