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Bionic ear restores hearing for hundreds of thousands The bionic ear, or cochlear implant, is a local biomedical success story. The device developed out of studies in the 1960s by Professor Graeme Clark and his team at the University of Melbourne. Today, around 200,000 adults and children across 120 countries enjoy the gift of hearing through cochlear implants. The bionic ear is a striking example of taking a concept from the laboratory through to clinical application. It illustrates what can be achieved through a multi-disciplinary research approach with support from government, other funding bodies and a commercial partner being involved in the developmental research. The Australian company Cochlear Ltd, which commercialised and developed the technology, has an 80 per cent share of the worldwide market. By 2050 hearing loss will affect one in four Australians. Melbourne’s Bionics Institute is currently engaging in several research projects with the aim of improving sound perception among cochlear implant and hearing aid wearers. Bionics research is expanding into the development of neurobionic devices that treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and obsessive compulsive disorder.