Cochlear Implant Users Can Now Hear Musical Octaves – WIA CI Enhancement Released
Cochlear Implant Users Can Now Hear Musical OctavesSmileStory Inc. CEO Yeon Sam-Heum: “We wanted to give them real music, not robotic sounds”
 |
[Image 1: Senior with cochlear implant smiling in front of a piano]
“It’s the same note ‘C’, but I can’t tell if it’s high C or low C.”
This is a common frustration shared by over one million cochlear implant (CI) users worldwide. While CIs have revolutionized hearing for people with severe hearing loss, they’ve always had one critical limitation: the inability to distinguish octaves.
Middle C and the C one octave above it are clearly different notes on a piano. But to a cochlear implant user, they sound identical. This is why many CI recipients describe music as “robotic” or simply give up on enjoying it altogether.
Overcoming the 22-Electrode Limit Through Software
 |
[Image 2: Cochlear implant electrode array and frequency mapping diagram]
A cochlear implant delivers sound through just 22 electrodes implanted in the cochlea. Compare this to the approximately 3,500 hair cells that process sound in normal hearing—it’s a dramatic reduction. These 22 electrodes must represent the entire audible frequency range up to 20,000 Hz, making fine pitch discrimination, especially octave recognition, physically impossible.
Research shows:
- CI users’ pitch discrimination ranges from 1 semitone to 2 octaves, with significant individual variation
- Despite having 22 electrodes, users effectively perceive only 3-9 “functional channels” due to channel interaction
- High-quality melody recognition requires at least 64 channels
The WIA (World Inclusive Accessibility) project has solved this problem using Temporal Modulation — a software-based approach. The key innovation is assigning unique modulation frequencies to each octave.
“Lower octaves are modulated at 4Hz, middle octaves at 10Hz, and higher octaves at 25Hz. The brain learns to recognize these vibration patterns, eventually ‘perceiving’ the octave difference.” — WIA CI Enhancement Technical Documentation
Why Open Source?
 |
[Image 3: GitHub interface with collaborating developers]
The WIA CI Enhancement technology has been released on GitHub under the MIT License. When asked why they didn’t pursue patents, SmileStory CEO Yeon Sam-Heum explained:
“If we patented this, only one company could use it. But among the million CI users worldwide, Koreans are a tiny fraction. Holding a patent would mean 99% of users get no benefit. By making it open source, any CI manufacturer—Cochlear, MED-EL, Advanced Bionics—can adopt it. That’s how everyone benefits. In Korean philosophy, we call this ‘Hongik Ingan’ (弘益人間)—to broadly benefit all of humanity.”
Aging Society, Growing CI Demand
 |
[Image 4: Grandmother with CI talking to grandchildren]
According to the World Health Organization, over 430 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. Approximately one-third of people over 65 experience hearing loss that affects daily life.
As global populations age, the demand for cochlear implants is projected to surge. The CI market is dominated by three major players: Cochlear Limited (Australia), MED-EL (Austria), and Advanced Bionics (USA). Competition has primarily focused on hardware improvements, but electrodes have plateaued at 22 channels.
Market Outlook:
- 2024 global CI market: approximately $1.9 billion
- Projected 7.6% CAGR through 2030
- Adult users account for 57.7% and growing
- Major manufacturers: Cochlear Limited (Australia), MED-EL (Austria), Advanced Bionics (USA)
Software and algorithms represent the next frontier of differentiation—and WIA’s open-source approach could reshape the competitive landscape.
Part of the WIA Ecosystem
 |
[Image 5: WIA project roadmap – Braille, ISP, AAC, CI …etc.]
WIA CI Enhancement is not a standalone project. SmileStory and WIA have been developing a comprehensive suite of accessibility standards:
- WIA Braille: Multilingual Braille notation standard
- ISP (International Sign Phonology): International phonological system for sign languages (353 mappings)
- WIA Talk: AI-powered sign language translation service
- AAC 4-Phase Framework: Implementation standard for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- WIA CI Enhancement: Cochlear implant octave recognition technology (NEW)
All these technologies are open source, unified by a single philosophy: breaking down communication barriers between people with and without disabilities.
Technical Details: High-Performance Rust API
 |
[Image 6: WIA CI Enhancement code and API interface]
WIA CI Enhancement is implemented in Rust, optimized for real-time audio processing. Key features include:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| OctaveYIN Algorithm | Accurate octave detection via harmonic analysis |
| Temporal Modulation | Octave-specific modulation frequency encoding |
| REST/WebSocket API | Real-time streaming support |
| CI Vocoder Simulator | A/B comparison testing capability |
Bringing Music Back
 |
[Image 7: CI user emotionally moved while listening to music]
Along with the technology release, WIA plans to collect feedback from CI users worldwide. CEO Yeon Sam-Heum shared his vision:
“When people first turn on their cochlear implant, many cry—they’ve gotten their hearing back. But over time, they say ‘music sounds strange’ or ‘singing sounds robotic.’ We hope our technology can give them real music back. If a grandmother can truly hear her grandchild’s song, what could bring greater joy than that?”
Links:
– GitHub: github.com/WIA-Official/wia-standards
– WIA Official: wia-official.org
– Contact: contact@smilestory.co.kr
※ This technology is signal processing software, not a medical device. Integration with actual CI hardware requires collaboration with manufacturers.
📚 References & Sources
The statistics on cochlear implants and music perception limitations cited in this article are based on the following authoritative sources:
🏛️ Official Organizations & Academic Resources
1. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
“As of July 2022, more than 1 million cochlear implants have been implanted worldwide. In the United States, roughly 118,100 devices have been implanted in adults and 65,000 in children.”
Source: NIDCD Quick Statistics (2022)
2. PMC (PubMed Central) – NIH Academic Paper
“Pitch discrimination ability ranges from the ability to hear a one-semitone difference to a two-octave difference… even though implantees get as many as 22 channels of stimulation, they have only been shown to have 3 to 9 ‘functional’ channels.”
3. JASA Express Letters (Acoustical Society of America)
“Celebrating the one millionth cochlear implant” – Cochlear implants are the most successful neural prosthesis, having restored functional hearing to one million people worldwide.
Source: JASA Express Lett. (2022)
4. World Health Organization (WHO)
Over 430 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss; projected to reach 700 million by 2050
Source: WHO Official Statistics
📊 Music Perception & Octave Discrimination Limitations
| Music Perception Aspect | CI User Performance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch discrimination ability | 1 semitone to 2 octaves | PMC |
| Octave discrimination failure | Confirmed | PMC |
| Melody recognition (no rhythm/lyrics) | ~1/3 above chance | PMC |
| Timbre recognition | Avg 47% (NH: 91%) | PMC |
| Channels needed for melody recognition | Minimum 64 | PMC |
🔬 Cochlear Implant Technical Details
Electrode Counts and Functional Channels
- Cochlear Limited: 22 electrodes (highest electrode count)
- Advanced Bionics: 16 electrodes
- MED-EL: 12-24 channels (varies by model)
- Actual “functional channels”: 3-9 (limited by channel interaction)
- Normal hearing: ~3,500 hair cells
💼 Market Data
Cochlear Implant Market Outlook
- 2024 market size: Approximately $1.9 billion
- 2030 projection: $2.77 billion
- CAGR: 6-7.6%
- Adult user share: 57.7% (2024)
Source: Grand View Research, Global Market Insights (2024)
📖 Additional Research Papers
Clinical Assessment of Music Perception in Cochlear Implant Listeners
Nimmons et al., Otology & Neurotology (2008)
Vocoder Simulations Explain Complex Pitch Perception Limitations
JARO – Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (2017)
Music Perception with Cochlear Implants: A Review
Trends in Amplification (PMC, 2004)
All statistics and citations are based on official publications from 2022-2024.
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
