ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- University of Michigan scientists say they are developing a mechanical cochlea, a device that functions much as its human counterpart in the ear.

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Yet, because it is composed of micro-machined parts and integrated circuits, the apparatus is expected to be inexpensive and to capture a range of frequencies well beyond those of human hearing.

While designed as a highly efficient sensor to detect sound waves underwater, researchers say the machined cochlea might one day substitute for the microphone and much of the electronics in cochlear implants, but at a substantially lower cost.

Under development by National Science Foundation Student Fellow Robert White and NSF Career Awardee Karl Grosh, the "micro-engineered hydro-mechanical cochlear model" was first reported in the Jan. 21 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The device, while not the first of its kind, has three benefits over existing artificial cochlea: it can be mass produced; its three-centimeter length is comparable to the unwound human cochlea, which is important for potential hearing aid applications; and there are no moving parts, so the sensor is incredibly efficient.

Grosh and White hope to demonstrate a 32-channel device in the near future.