History of the Cochlear Implant

Graeme Clark

Nov 13, 1967

Graeme ClarkFirst person to do research on an electrical device that could be implanted to help people who are hearing impaired hear.

Rod Saunders

Nov 13, 1978

First man with a bionic ear
Rod Saunders was the first man to be successfully fitted with an implant.

Nucleus Mulit-Channel Cochlear Implant

Nov 13, 1979

What is a multi-channel device?
Nucleus and Cochlear team-up to start commerical production on multi-channel devices.

Rod Saunders get an Upgrade

Nov 13, 1982

Weatable Speech Processor
The wearable speech processor is introduced and the model we still see most commonly today.

Cochlear Implants in Children

Nov 13, 1985

Benefits of Early Cochlear Implants In 1985 and 1986 Dr. Graeme Clark implanted the first two children with cochlear implants. The children were 10 and 5-years-old.