In this project, Professor Manohar Bance at University of Cambridge seeks to create models of the human head to help mimic how cochlear implants interact with the hearing system, to improve programming and user experience of cochlear implants.
Project start date: March 2025
Project end date: February 2026
Read about the project outcomes here.
About the project
Cochlear implants provide access to sound for people with severe to profound hearing loss. However, for various reasons, programming an implant to meet the individual needs of its user can be challenging.
In this project, the researchers will try to solve this issue by creating a model that can reproduce the brain’s response to sound through the cochlear implant itself.
How it works
The researchers will develop realistic physical models of the human head, called ‘EEG phantoms’, that can mimic how cochlear implants interact with the auditory system. These models will help researchers to improve how the brain’s responses to sound are measured, allowing cochlear implants to be programmed more precisely and effectively.
The models will incorporate an artificial nerve that can simulate real brain activity, allowing the models to be used as testing platforms for cochlear implant programming. The models will be rigorously tested to ensure they accurately represent human anatomy and electrical activity.
How will this research benefit people with cochlear implants?
This research will make cochlear implants more effective and easier to use. By enabling direct and accurate measurements of how people perceive sound, clinicians will be able to better tailor implants to each person’s needs.
In the long term, this work could lead to “smart” cochlear implants that can automatically adjust their settings to optimize a person’s hearing and help diagnose issues, ensuring their consistent and reliable performance.
What we’ve learned so far
This project successfully developed realistic “EEG phantom” head skin, bone and brain parts to a full head model, based on medical imaging and 3D-printed using materials matched to key human tissues.
Using these models, the researchers will characterise how different cochlear implant device configurations affect recorded brain signals. The work also led to follow‑on funding to continue work on recording brain activity from cochlear implants.
About the researcher
Professor Manohar Bance is an ear surgeon and clinician-scientist at the University of Cambridge. He is Professor of Otology at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He was awarded an RNID Innovation Seed Fund for this project.
I hope my research will improve quality of life for the millions of people with hearing and balance disorders, relieve suffering for those affected by tinnitus, and to give people with hearing loss the same opportunities that hearing people have.”
