Robotic hand drill shows promise for cochlear implant procedures

Each year, cochleostomies are carried out on around 700 people in Britain. The procedure involves implanting an electronic device that replicates the work of damaged parts of the inner ear – the cochlea - to provide the brain with sound signals.

The implants help people who gain little or no benefit from hearing aids, or have moderate to profound hearing impairment in both ears.

Surgeons have to train for 10 years before practising the procedure, which involves drilling through bone into the middle ear and into the cochlea. A patient's balance can be damaged if bone fragments enter the cochlea.

Bioengineers at Brunel have now tested a new robotic hand drill with a smart sensor that stops automatically before it reaches the endosteal membrane in the inner ear.

“It reduces the risk of people suffering balance damage,” said Dr Xinli Du a research fellow at Brunel Institute of Bioengineering who developed the drill. “It drills at a much slower pace, which reduces the impact and amount of contact, which means less vibrating, which can damage the cochlea.”