The device helps the hearing impaired to use the tongue to 'hear' the sound

Researchers from Colorado State University (CSU) have introduced devices that help deaf people hear with their tongue.

Basically, this device does not restore human hearing, but it converts sound into characteristic vibrations that can be felt by the tongue, and through it, the user can "sense" the sound. bar or word in the environment. This method is not only much cheaper than cochlear implant (which costs up to $ 100,000) but also does not need to undergo complicated invasive surgery.

Until now for cases of hearing loss or loss, the two most common methods are hearing aids or cochlear implant surgery. If the hearing aid amplifies the sound so that the patient can detect it, the cochlear implant bypasses the damaged components in the ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve. Sound in the environment is captured from the microphone and the voice will be analyzed by microprocessor. This information is then converted into electrical impulses and sent to another area of ​​the auditory nervous system. After the acquaintance time, users can identify words based on the corresponding electrical impulses.

Basically, devices of scientists at CSU also operate in the same way but only in the path of the signal. A bluetooth-enabled headset will record sound and transfer it to the processor - which converts sound into electrical impulses that represent words. But instead of transmitting impulses to the auditory nerve, the CSU device sends this signal to the built-in component. When the user lets their tongue touch the device, the electrodes will discharge electrical impulses and relay signals to the brain. So do users experience electric shock or discomfort? Researcher John Williams said: "Some users think it feels similar to champagne foam or Pop Rocks on the tongue."

In the video above, researchers are "teaching" the tongue and brain to work together to use this hearing aid. They think the time for users to get used to the device is a few weeks or months, but in the end, the brain will be able to get useful information from this device. In fact, the tongue is the part that cuts hundreds of nerves and the human brain is also very sensitive to the information that the tongue feels. Leslie Stone-Roy said: "We can feel very small changes on the tongue. This is similar to how blind people can use Braille to read Braille. Even tongue exists. can work more accurately ".

Currently, the test version of the device is quite large in size, but researchers hope to develop a much smaller version that can be placed in the mouth and even difficult to see. It is estimated that the device will cost about $ 2,000, still much cheaper than the current cochlear implant method. Next step, the researchers will map the nerve on the tongue to find the optimal device placement.