by John Williamson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal
Two common types of hearing loss suffered by millions of people worldwide are sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. The former is caused primarily by damage to the cochlea, the snail-shell like structure of the inner ear containing hair cells, the movement of which is interpreted by the brain as sound. On the other hand, conductive hearing loss relates to problems with conducting sound waves along the route between the outer ear to the middle ear, and may occur along with sensorineural hearing loss. This article examines MEMS based approaches to improving the ability to hear.
