Medical Advance: The Gift of Sound

A new scientific breakthrough gives hope to those with severe hearing loss.
3:00 | 02/09/14


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Transcript for Medical Advance: The Gift of Sound
And to a medical headline breaking tonight. Word of a new smaller, nearly invisible device that could give new hope to the hearing impaired. It comes after so many images of children hearing for the first time. ABC's Mara schiavocampo tonight. Reporter: They are the unforgettable moments that speak to the gift of sound. Talk to him, daddy. Daddy loves you. Reporter: You might remember little Grayson. Can you hear daddy? Daddy loves you. Reporter: Deaf since birth, hearing his father's voice for the very first time, thanks to surgery. You hear daddy? Yes? Yeah. Reporter: Or this woman, finally hearing her own voice with the help of an implant. Now, a new scientific break through could lead to even bigger advances for those with severe hearing loss. M.I.t. Researchers developed this tiny computer chip, smaller than a penny, and say it could lead to the hearing aid of the future. Small, implantable in the ear and able to charge wirelessly and remotely. I think it's a really exciting development for the field of cochlear implants. Reporter: While today's existing cochlear implants have several parts positioned outside the ear, this new chip eliminates the need for those things entirely, using the ear's natural microphone instead of outside sensors, essentially offering patients a completely invisible hearing aid. It's a quality of life issue, in that one would have hearing all the time. Within the next five to ten years, we will see totally implantable cochlear implants for anybody. Reporter: As we mentioned, if all goes well, that implant would charge wirelessly, or chargers could be built into pillows, repowering the device while the patient sleeps. All very cool stuff, but David, still in the early research stages. Giving hope. A lot of hope. And welcome, again, Mara. Thank you. Much more ahead on "World


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