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Cochlear implants are amazing, but at the same time still quite primitive. I'm sure if the same budget, talent and manpower was devoted to them as for example to the development of AirPods, we could restore close to natural hearing when implanted early enough.

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Even hearing aids should be much cheaper and better.

I read in 2008 that a Stanford Professor Stefan Heller aimed to convert stem cells to hair cells in inner ear by 2020 and restore natural hearing. It sounded quite futuristic and unbelievable at the time, I presume the approach did not work. I wish as much innovation happens on the biology side of things as the technology.

There are some very interesting approaches to Cochlea-Implants[0]. In Göttingen (Germany) a research group tries to stimulate the Cochlea via Light. That would allow for a lot better frequenzy bandwith and therefore better hearing quality.

[0] https://goettingen-campus.de/news/view?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%...

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