"John J. Jacques" writes:
> Hi Tom and all, I don't know anything about implants, so I have a stupid
> question! GRIN! Where is data uploaded and downloaded to and from!
That is not a stupid question. Some of the system is
outside the body and it provides electrical power as well as
signals for the auditory stimulation system which is actually
implanted in the cochlea.
Anybody interested in this topic should read the
wikipedia article on cochlear implants. It is long and very
detailed and yes, there are radio signals used to send control
information from the external parts of the system to the parts
embedded in the mastoid bone very near your ear. Those signals
are probably very, very weak as they only need to go a fraction
of an inch or so and are probably in a specific band of
frequencies. What is more likely is that the computer or
computers doing all the mathematic signal processing in order to
figure out what to tell the stimulators is generating RFI
because it has to do a lot of stuff very fast.
Anyway, look up cochlear implants in wikipedia and you
should find a very interesting article on the history as well as
a good description as to how the systems work.
Martin WB5AGZ