Bionic ear made by DRDO to be available soon!

 Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has manufactured a hearing aid that will solve the issues of many of those who have a hearing problem. Set to cost just one-eighth of an imported hearing aid, the ‘bionic ear’ will be available in the market by end of 2015.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, the cochlear implants is being developed by Defence Bio-engineering and Electro-Medical Laboratory (Debel), a unit of DRDO, in Bengaluru. The imported cochlear implant costs about Rs 7 to Rs 10 lakhs. The indigenous bionic ear will be available for Rs 1 lakh.

The cochlear implant project was started in 2012 and has about nearly three and a half years to reach the clinical stage. The implant will undergo trials at five centres across India before large-scale commercial production starts.

Scientists from several institutes like Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (Hyderabad), Andhra University, Visakhapatnam and Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, are working with DRDO on this project.