Codacs™ – Direct Acoustic Cochlear Implant
Project description
Cochlear’s Codacs™ implant is the world’s first hearing implant specially developed to treat severe to profound mixed hearing loss. It circumvents both the outer and middle ear to transfer vibrations directly to the fluid within the inner ear (direct acoustic cochlea stimulation – DACS). Helbling played a major role in devising the underlying operating principle and developed the key implantable components: the actuator and its fixation mechanism. Helbling’s blend of holistic development methods and specific technical skills qualified the company to tackle every aspect of the technical challenges presented by this project and develop the implant. The development process covered not only requirements and systems engineering but also risk and quality management, usability engineering and documentation. The technical skills required ran the gamut from electromechanics, microtechnology and acoustics to encapsulation technology and process engineering.
Key data and technical details
- High-power implantable hearing aid system: equivalent sound pressure level of up to 140 dB SPL
- Reliable long-term implant: > 10 years
- Highly efficient actuator: 1 mW at 125 dB SPL
- Expanded frequency range: 100 Hz to 10 kHz
- Intuitive and precise actuator positioning thanks to an adaptable fixation mechanism
