Hear a simulation of what a cochlear implant sounds like

Thousands of children in the UK are deaf - which means they have little or no hearing.

Many of them use sign language to talk to their family and friends.

For some of them there is the possibility of using special ear implants - called cochlear implants - to improve their hearing.

They sound different to what you might get through a hearing aid.

Some people say the sound produced is quite robotic but it varies from person to person.

Some people just experience the signals as beeps, which is quite normal. As the brain gets used to using the implant, those beeps turn into meaningful sounds.

Audio clip from Action on Hearing Loss.