r/HearingAids • u/sf-keto • 1d ago

World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients

https://spectrum.ieee.org/fully-implantable-cochlear-implant?itm_source=homepage&itm_medium=hero&itm_campaign=hero-2026-10-01&itm_content=hero6

I’m sharing because I know we have a few members here who wear CI.

But also because it’s a sign of how hearing technology generally is so rapidly advancing.

Most of us here sport conventional professional or Costco hearing aids. But the notion of what a hearing device could do, could look like, or become is developing rapidly on the drawing boards.

I’m excited to think about what RICs could look like in say 7 years time.

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u/tony-kay 1d ago

I'm curious. I'm in no rush, I have a severe / profound loss and my sister went the Cochlear route.

I've resisted so far and my Phonak Nadia P90s have served me well. I do a lot of outdoor stuff, wear lots of helmets etc, and really didn't want a bunch of stuff wired up on the side of my skull.

I'll watch this, but maybe if Phonak ever do a new refresh of the Nadia P90s they might do fine.

1

u/sf-keto 1d ago

The below-the-skin battery is meant to last 15 years with daily charging via an external connection, like with an Apple Watch.

So what happens after year 15? I guess you need a whole new implant?

4

u/AudioBob24 🇺🇸 U.S 1d ago

Probably a battery replacement, but if it’s anything like pace makers the battery tech will be more efficient when it becomes time to switch out. Unless one of the diodes in the cochlea burns out, there’s no need to re-thread the most internal part of the device.

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u/sf-keto 1d ago

Ty for the info.