From Bionic Ear to world's first cochlear implant... a journey with Prof. Graeme Clark
In 1978 Professor Graeme Clark successfully performed the world's first multi-channel cochlear implant enabling truly meaningful sound for deaf people. This 'Bionic Ear' has inspired continuing advances in the field by Clark's team and other contributors around the world. In this program Professor Clark joins with Professor Richard Dowell to discuss the complex speech processing and coding strategy they developed, enabling adults and children to understand running speech, with and without lip-reading. Professor Graeme Clark pioneered the Multi-channel Cochlear Implant for severe-to profound deafness. This was the first clinically successful sensory interface between the world and human consciousness, and the first major advance in helping deaf children and adults to communicate in a world of sound. Professor Richard Dowell is the Director of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Cochlear Implant Clinic and holds the Chair in Audiology and Speech Science at the University of Melbourne. He has been involved in clinical work and research in cochlear implants for over 30 years, and is a key scientist with the Hearing Cooperative Research Centre.
In 1978 Professor Graeme Clark successfully performed the world's first multi-channel cochlear implant enabling truly meaningful sound for deaf people. This 'Bionic Ear' has inspired continuing advances in the field by Clark's team and other contributors around the world. In this program Professor Clark joins with Professor Richard Dowell to discuss the complex speech processing and coding strategy they developed, enabling adults and children to understand running speech, with and without lip-reading. Professor Graeme Clark pioneered the Multi-channel Cochlear Implant for severe-to profound deafness. This was the first clinically successful sensory interface between the world and human consciousness, and the first major advance in helping deaf children and adults to communicate in a world of sound. Professor Richard Dowell is the Director of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Cochlear Implant Clinic and holds the Chair in Audiology and Speech Science at the University of Melbourne. He has been involved in clinical work and research in cochlear implants for over 30 years, and is a key scientist with the Hearing Cooperative Research Centre.