Cochlear implants - devices that help people who would otherwise be deaf have some limited hearing - currently require hardware mounted on the outside of the skull to accommodate a recharger and microphone. Now, researchers in the US have developed a new low-powered chip that offers the prospect of eliminating these bulky, visible externals.The new chip is the work of engineers in the Microsystems Technology Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) together with team members from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

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