Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.

I am totally digging this quote.Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.

I just came across it today and thought what a perfect title for my next entry! It is now on my top five list of favorite quotes.

The HiRes 90k implant or Johnny Five's pet mouse as I like to call it has a sidekick, the Harmony Processor. On the outside, the Harmony resembles a behind-the-ear hearing aid on steroids. The only difference is that it has a small cable with a quarter-size magnet at the end. The components work together in perfect harmony (pun intended).

Harmony Processor on the left - HiRes 90k Implant on the right.

So what does this Harmony do? It processes sound. :) The Harmony has two built in microphones that listens for sound and sends it to the processor or the mini computer. The mini computer converts the sound from analog to digital.

A prime example would be if you have digital cable service. You decided to give up the trusty rabbit ears and upgrade your service to digital. The big clunky box that the cable man brought over is a digital converter. It converts analog TV signal to digital. The result is a clear picture and increased audio clarity. I can vouch for the picture but the audio do not quote me on.

After all that digitalizing that goes on up in that processor, it ships the signal up the cable and into magnet at the end (transmitter) which transmits the signal to the magnet on the implant (receiver). The implant takes the signal, sends it down the tail to the electrodes that are wrapped around the cochlea. When the electrodes receive this signal, they stimulate the auditory nerve by sending out little jolts of electricity or firing that my brain will interpret as sound.

In essence, I will be available if you need something posted on the refrigerator since a magnet is always an ear away. :) I kid, I kid.