--- title: World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches... description: Austrian company MED-EL has launched the TICI UNICO, the first commercially available fully implanted cochlear implant, with no external hardware. The device... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/world-s-first-fully-implanted-cochlear-implant-reaches-patients-k2k4jaoce twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients | daily.dev og:description: Austrian company MED-EL has launched the TICI UNICO, the first commercially available fully implanted cochlear implant, with no external hardware. The device... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/world-s-first-fully-implanted-cochlear-implant-reaches-patients-k2k4jaoce og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/k2k4JaoCe.png og:image:alt: World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients **[IEEE Spectrum](https://daily.dev/sources/ieeespectrum)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Austrian company MED-EL has launched the TICI UNICO, the first commercially available fully implanted cochlear implant, with no external hardware. The device implants the microphone, sound processor, battery, and electrode array entirely beneath the skin, letting users hear while sleeping, swimming, and charging. It has European regulatory approval, is not yet available in the US, and a 30-patient clinical trial found hearing performance comparable to conventional implants. The rechargeable battery lasts up to 40 hours per charge and is designed to function for at least 15 years. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the TICI UNICO cochlear implant and how is it different from regular cochlear implants The TICI UNICO, made by MED-EL, is the first commercially available fully implanted cochlear implant, meaning every component including the microphone sits beneath the skin with no external processor. It weighs 20 grams, has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasting up to 40 hours per charge, and lets users hear continuously, including while sleeping or swimming, unlike conventional devices with an external unit worn behind the ear. _Track how implantable medical devices evolve alongside software and hardware innovation on daily.dev._ ### How long does the battery last in a fully implanted cochlear implant like the TICI UNICO The TICI UNICO's non-replaceable rechargeable battery lasts up to 40 hours on a single charge of about 1 to 1.5 hours, using a magnetic charging unit called a GoPod. MED-EL's performance data suggests the device can maintain at least 24 hours of use per charge for a minimum of 15 years. _Engineers evaluating implantable battery design tradeoffs can follow similar hardware breakthroughs on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Brain-computer interface trials are taking off](https://daily.dev/posts/brain-computer-interface-trials-are-taking-off-tkf77elxq) · MIT Technology Review · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [New therapeutic brain implants defy the need for surgery](https://daily.dev/posts/new-therapeutic-brain-implants-defy-the-need-for-surgery-wlnktjzon) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Injectable Outlet in the Body Powers Bioelectric Implants](https://daily.dev/posts/injectable-outlet-in-the-body-powers-bioelectric-implants-dmrqogxlm) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [China performs first commercial brain implant, beats Neuralink](https://daily.dev/posts/china-performs-first-commercial-brain-implant-beats-neuralink-sj9jzfyhl) · The Next Web · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Speak Silently With An Ultrasound Probe](https://daily.dev/posts/speak-silently-with-an-ultrasound-probe-0ljfgetz8) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#healthcare](https://daily.dev/tags/healthcare) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/world-s-first-fully-implanted-cochlear-implant-reaches-patients-k2k4jaoce) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"World’s First Fully Implanted Cochlear Implant Reaches Patients","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/world-s-first-fully-implanted-cochlear-implant-reaches-patients-k2k4jaoce","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/world-s-first-fully-implanted-cochlear-implant-reaches-patients-k2k4jaoce"},"datePublished":"2026-09-30T16:22:57.976Z","dateModified":"2026-09-30T16:23:26.263Z","description":"Austrian company MED-EL has launched the TICI UNICO, the first commercially available fully implanted cochlear implant, with no external hardware. 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