Regaining balance with bionic ears.

• Autores: Charles C. Della Santina
• Localización: Scientific American, ISSN 0036-8733, Vol. 302, Nº. 4, 2010, págs. 68-71
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The article discusses how electronic implants in the inner ear of some patients who experience disabling unsteadiness as a result of damage to the vestibular labyrinth may one day restore their vision and equilibrium. The bionic ear works by providing stability through the electronic stimulation of the vestibular nerve, which is the nerve that sends signals from the vestibular labyrinth to the brain. Topics include the physiology of head rotation and its affect on vision and vertigo, how the prostheses would replace the function of the semicircular canals, which are structures in the inner ear that measure head rotation, and an overview of the bionic implant created by the author and tested on a man suffering from imbalance.