Firsts that have transformed lives around the world

Cochlear is the first organisation to have a multichannel cochlear implant approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US.1

A Cochlear implant

1978 - Rod Saunders becomes the first person to get a multichannel cochlear implant. "Hello Rod," are the first words he hears.

A multichannel cochlear implant

In 1982, at 37 years old, Graham Carrick becomes the first commercial Cochlear™ Nucleus® implant recipient.

Cochlear's first commercial Cochlear Nucleus implant recipient Graham Carrick first

At the age of 4, Holly McDonnell was the first paediatric recipient of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® implant.

First Nucleus paediatric recipient Holly McDonnell

More than 40 years ago, Mona Andersson from Sweden becomes the first person to get a Cochlear™ Baha® bone conduction implant.

First Baha implant recipient Mona Andersson from Sweden

At 102 years old, Jack Walley is the oldest cochlear implant recipient to date.

Oldest recipient to date Jack Walley

Cochlear's sound processors were the first to feature dual microphones,2 which allow people to pick up on sound from all around them.

A Cochlear implant with dual microphones

Pictured: the Nucleus® Freedom™ cochlear implant system 2005.

Cochlear implant sound processors are the world's smallest and lightest,3 so they're less intrusive and more comfortable for people to wear.

A Cochlear implant

Our bone conduction and cochlear implants were the first to deliver Made for iPhone sound processors4, which allow people to stream music, phone calls and entertainment directly to their sound processor.

A woman with a Cochlear implant uses an iPad

More information

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Products and accessories

Discover how Cochlear's range of hearing solutions may help you to hear better and participate more in life and the activities you love.

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Disclaimer

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always follow the directions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

For a full list of Cochlear’s trademarks, please visit our Terms of Use page.

References

  1. Clark G. Cochlear Implants: Fundamentals and Applications. Springer-Verlag; New York: 2003.
  2. Patrick JF, Busby PA, Gibson PJ. The development of the Nucleus® Freedom™ cochlear implant system. Trends in amplification. 2006 Dec;10(4):175-200.
  3. Cochlear Limited D1190805. CP1000 Processor Size Comparison. 2019, Sept; Data on file.
  4. Apple Inc. 'Compatible hearing devices' [Internet]. Apple support. 2017 [cited 15 February 2019]. Available from: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201466#compatible