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Bionic ear
One of the earliest bionic inventions, multi-channel cochlear implants have been around since the early 1970's. A microphone, worn outside the ear, picks up sounds and transmits them to a receiver/stimulator in the ear, which sends electrical impulses to an electrode array implanted in the ear. The impulses are then sent to different parts of the auditory nerve. Around 100,000 people worldwide have cochlear implants.