AUSTRALIA: NEW BIONIC EAR DEVICE DEVELOPED скачать в хорошем качестве

AUSTRALIA: NEW BIONIC EAR DEVICE DEVELOPED

(21 Dec 1995) English/Nat A new bionic ear developed in Australia may soon allow deaf children as young as six months to hear again. Trials are being carried out on adults and the results are pleasing the inventors. A new cochlea implant, developed with the help of the Bionic Ear Institute in Melbourne, Australia, could be the key to a whole new world of hearing for deaf youngsters. The Australian research institute has led the world in the development of 'bionic ears' since 1968, and have been working on this new prototype for the last four years. The bionic ear device is wholly manufactured in Australia and is a leading bio-medical export of the country. SOUNDBITE: The bionic ear has now progressed to the point where it is smarter, faster and it is also smaller. And it means, we hope, that it will also be able to be put into children under 2 years of age. Its small enough to actually implant in a child of six to nine months of age. Its got a lot of advantages, it can let us do more speech processing and analysis of the speech signal and we hope its going to be the real breakthrough for bionic ears for the next decade. SUPER CAPTION: Professor Graham Clark, Director Bionic Ear Institute The new bionic ear has already been used in trials with adults for the last 18 months. Steven Blume lost his hearing at the age of 20 and had been deaf for more than two decades until he had the newest bionic ear prototype implanted just a few months ago. Now he is learning to hear again. SOUNDBITE: Well, I like birds and wildlife and stuff like that, and a walk in the park used to probably take me an hour. Now it probably takes me about three because I stop and listen. I've got to learn what birds make what sounds again and that's really good for me. I can hear my son again, although its still pretty hard but I'm getting there. I can have a conversation with someone, can hear all my favourite records again. Just changes your whole outlook on life, you're not angry all the time, you're not looking for someone to blame. Just all round better. SUPER CAPTION: Steven Blume, Bionic Ear Prototype recipient And a walk on the beach near his house has been made all the more wondrous since the operation. SOUNDBITE: They sound exactly how I remember. noisy, great. SUPER CAPTION: Steven Blume, Bionic Ear Prototype recipient Soon many young children may never have to suffer years of silence like Steven has done. The Bionic Ear Institute hopes to place the first of these new cochlea implants into infants before the end of the decade. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...