Cochlear implants have restored basic hearing to some 220,000 deaf
people, yet a microphone and related electronics must be worn outside
the head, raising reliability issues, preventing patients from swimming
and creating social stigma. Now, engineers have developed a tiny
prototype microphone that can be implanted in the middle ear to avoid
such problems.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430101038.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fhearing_loss+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Health+%26+Medicine+News+--+Hearing+Loss%29