Read an in-depth article on cochlear implants on Wikipedia. The article provides information on the history of the cochlear implant, including Adam Kissiah’s contribution to its development.
Following is an excerpt from the Wikipedia article:
Cochlear Implants that operate successfully, including those produced by all three major manufacturers (Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, and Med-El), incorporate the same basic design. Henry Ford’s Model “T” automobile of the early 1900s and the Cadillac of the modern era have the same basic design but differ greatly in the details of each final design.
Likewise, all cochlear implants must incorporate the same basic design. The design makes the device capable of “detecting” or “demodulating” intelligence from the human voice when that intelligence resides within an electronic signal.
Also, a successful cochlear implant must be capable of converting the pattern of the detected intelligence into an appropriate electronic format for application to the acoustic (eighth cranial) nerve. It transmits the encoded pattern to the brain’s hearing center. The brain interprets the information as meaningful intelligence. That is why implants from major manufacturers work equally well in functionality but differ in final design enhancements.
Adam Kissiah, Jr first described the design of this basic conversion process. He first exposed the design to James O. Harrell, Esquire, Patent Counsel to NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, in July 1974. On August 1, 1974, Mr. Harrell also advised exposure to another person capable of understanding the concept. Subsequent Patent Office search and patent applications for letters patent were completed in May 1977. Then, Patent 4063048 was issued to Adam M. Kissiah, Jr. on December 13, 1977; Reissue 31031, which further improved the design, was issued in September 1982.
The article also describes the cochlear implant parts and how they function. In addition, it discusses the risks and disadvantages of cochlear implants and their controversy in deaf culture. The Wikipedia article is a great resource if you’re researching a paper or simply interested in learning about the history of cochlear implants or implantable hearing devices.
Read more information about the cochlear implant on Wikipedia.