Development of an educational electro-mechanical model of the middle ear

In the United States, 1 in 5 people (20%, or 48.1 M), 12 years or older, have hearing loss in one or both ears,1, 2 and approximately 3 out of 1000 children are born with some degree hearing loss.1, 3Educating the public on potential causes of hearing loss is often overlooked but imperative; like the remedial task of listening to headphones at a high volume. This in part is due to lack of interactive educational tools to demonstrate sound sensation/perception and apparatuses of the natural safety mechanisms against high intensity sounds. This study aids to encourage particularly a younger generation by increasing public health awareness with the design of a standalone, interactive, and educational electro-mechanical model that exhibits middle ear motion. The model includes: (i) anatomical 3-bone configuration (malleus, incus, and stapes), (ii) cochlea fluid environment, (iii) electrical stimulation of auditory nerve fibers, and (iv) an informational display regarding the natural safety mechanism, sound co...