First micro-machined cochlear implant</tile> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="description" content="First micro-machined cochlear implant"> <meta http-equiv="keywords" content="First,micro-machined,cochlear,implant"> </head> <body> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="10" height="39"> </td> <td width="99%" height="39"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="16%"><a href="http://inttranews.inttra.net"><img src="http://inttranews.inttra.net/images/inttranews_grey_2.jpg" width="192" height="37" border="0"></a></td> <td width="50%" valign="middle"> <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b><font color="#CCCCCC" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">KNOW.<br> HOW.</font></b></font> </p> </td> <td width="34%" align="right" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#666666">03-02-2005</font></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10"> </td> <td width="99%" > </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="10"> </td> <td width="99%" > <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <b>First micro-machined cochlear implant</b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100%"> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Michigan, USA (University of Michigan news service): Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed the first micro-machined, life-sized, mechanical cochlea, the tiny organ responsible for converting acoustic vibrations into electrical signals for the brain to "read" and interpret as different sounds. <br>Most people with hearing loss have lost the ability to translate acoustic sound waves into electrical signals for the brain, so developing a device capable of simulating this function is an important step in the effort to help at least some of the estimated 560 million people who will experience hearing loss by this year. While the U-M system is not yet ready for use as an implant, the 3-centimeter device could potentially be used as part of a cochlear implant <br> <br>For more information, please visit: <br><a href="http://www.umich.edu/news/?Releases/2005/Feb05/r020205b " target="blank">www.umich.edu/news/?Releases/2005/Feb05/r020205b </a> <br></font></td> </tr> </table> </td></tr> </table> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="<http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show