DRDO's bionic ear soon to hit markets

The indigenous hearing aid will cost one-eighth of the imported one

The Defence Research Development Organisation is developing an indigenous cochlear implant that will boost the hearing capacity of the hearing-impaired. The device is expected to be ready by this year-end, according to DRDO scientists.

The development of the implant is being undertaken by Bengaluru-based Defence Bio-engineering and Electro-Medical Laboratory (Debel), a unit of DRDO.

The cochlear implant will create and convey sound to people severely hard of hearing due to loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. The implant, known as the bionic ear, is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids that make sounds louder, cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.

The project to develop the implant took off sometime in 2012. While it is appreciable that DRDO took up the implant project, it is depressing to hear that it has taken nearly three-and-a-half years for the device to come to the clinical trials stage. Scientists off the record agree that it has taken too much time to come to the trials stage.

“Any project taken up by DRDO takes a lot of time to come close to commercial stage. From as big a project as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to a small implant like the cochlear implant takes enormous time to come to the testing and trials stage. The LCA is 30 years in the making, though it is a matter of appreciation that nealy 2,500 -odd test flights haven’t seen a single crash. This is excellent work.

The cochlear implant is expected to be a good device despite the delay,” a couple of scientists who did not want to be named said. After trials at five centres in the country, the implant will be used for commercial production.

“There are distinct groups of potential users. They may have lost hearing due to diseases such as meningitis. The implant will serve different needs and have different outcomes,” V K Aatre, former Director General, DRDO.

As per DRDO estimates, nearly one million people in India need cochlear implants. “Every year, around 10,000 hearing-impaired children are born. Unfortunately, an imported cochlear implant is very expensive - priced between Rs seven lakh and Rs 10 lakh. Only the affluent can afford it,” DRDO scientists said.

As per initial estimates, the DRDO implant will be available for around Rs one lakh. Scientists from Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (Hyderabad), Andhra University, Visakhapatnam and the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam too are collaborating with the Bengaluru DRDO unit in developing the device.