Cochlear implants are a unique sound conversion device; they are the irreplaceable lifelines of these children and will continue to be so throughout their entire lives. The cochlear implant first takes in analog sound waves and transfers them into electrical signals to the speech processor. The speech processor then processes the electrical signal making it digital while stimulating the auditory nerves in the ear. The transmission/receiving stimulator will take in the processed electrical signal through the temporal scalp into the inner ear electrode, causing the electrode conduction to stimulate the nerves, producing a degree of hearing for the children. However, this signal to the brain is in no way the same as the sound we perceive. They lack many details of hearing that we hear; although we don't have the means to fully comprehend their experience –  to truly understand what their experience of hearing, you would need to have an implant of your own – it can be inferred that the sound they hear can be comparable to a malfunctioning doll voice at best. 

​

人工耳蜗是一种电子装置，它是这些孩子们最好的朋友。人工耳蜗虽小，但是它将陪伴孩子们一生，带领他们通向有声世界。虽然人工耳蜗在安装后就成为了人体的一部分，它的工作原理却并不简易：首先拾音器将环境声波（如说话声、碰撞声）转化为电信号传输给言语处理器，而言语处理器将对电信号进行特殊处理，使其变成可刺激耳内残存的听觉神经、引起听觉恢复的电子信号。然后装置把处理后的电子信号经过颞部头皮传输至耳内电极，再由电极传导电信号来刺激神经，使听力障碍的孩子们恢复某种程度的听觉。然而，在这些先天听力障碍的孩子们中，生活中一切美好、多样的声音，都将变成单调的声波频率。人工耳蜗的整套工作流程要压缩进一个硬币大小的容器内，可见其复杂性。由于手术的难度与成本，人工耳蜗的植入费用十分高昂，一般植入国产人工耳蜗要价都在15万人民币左右，而大多进口耳蜗则要价在20万-30万人民币之间。