The World's First and Only Totally Invisible Cochlear Implant. MED-EL Launches TICI UNICO.

MED-EL Launches TICI UNICO, the World's First and Only Totally Invisible Cochlear Implant

• The world's first and only commercially available cochlear implant with all components, including the microphone, implanted beneath the skin.
• Provides people with severe-to-profound hearing loss with continuous access to sound throughout daily life, including during sleep.
• Combines complete invisibility with hearing performance designed to be the same as established cochlear implant solutions.
  

September 29, 2026 - United Kingdom and Ireland: For decades, people with hearing loss have dreamed of a hearing solution that simply disappears into everyday life. Today, that long-standing vision becomes reality. MED-EL, a global leader in hearing implant technology, announces the launch of TICI UNICO, the world's first and only commercially available totally invisible cochlear implant. Designed for people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, TICI UNICO provides around-the-clock access to sound through a fully implanted solution with no external components. Combining continuous hearing, complete invisibility, and a new sense of freedom, TICI UNICO offers a hearing solution that integrates seamlessly into everyday life.

Cochlear implants have transformed hearing for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. TICI UNICO expands the range of hearing implant solutions available by offering an alternative with no externally worn components for cochlear implant candidates, while complementing MED-EL's established cochlear implant portfolio.

"TICI UNICO is a new category of an implant. It is totally new and it is the realisation of a dream that I have had for a very long time," says Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, Co-founder and CEO of MED-EL. "For the first time, invisible hearing with a cochlear implant is possible. This means a lot for the people who can receive TICI UNICO as well as for MED-EL and its team. It is a new chapter in the history of hearing, and a very fascinating one. I do indeed hope that it will open the door to hearing for many more people than currently are interested in cochlear implants."

A New Era of Hearing Freedom

TICI UNICO is the first cochlear implant solution with all components, including the microphone, implanted completely beneath the skin. The device captures sound through the skin, converts it into electrical signals, and stimulates the cochlea, allowing sound information to be transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve. Because no external components are required, recipients can access sound throughout daily life, including while sleeping, exercising, or participating in water-based activities. Recipients can continue hearing while the device is charging, eliminating periods without access to sound and supporting uninterrupted 24/7 hearing day and night.

Key benefits of TICI UNICO:

• Completely invisible hearing solution with no external components
• Implanted microphone technology designed to capture sound through the skin
• Continuous access to sound throughout the day and night, including while sleeping
• Ability to hear 24/7 every day and during water-based activities
• No external equipment to wear, remove, or manage
• Reduced concerns about losing, damaging, or maintaining external devices
• Greater discretion for recipients who prefer a non-visible hearing solution
• Hearing performance comparable to MED-EL’s established cochlear implant solutions
• Rechargeable device designed for long-term daily use
• MR Conditional compatibility at 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla under specified conditions
  

The Technology Behind TICI UNICO

A key innovation behind TICI UNICO is its implanted microphone technology. Capturing sound through the skin has long been one of the greatest challenges in developing a cochlear implant in which all components are placed beneath the skin. Drawing on decades of cochlear implant expertise, MED-EL developed an implanted microphone designed to deliver clear, high-quality sound while remaining completely beneath the skin. Clinical investigation data and experience to date indicate that recipients can achieve hearing performance comparable to established cochlear implant solutions while benefiting from the absence of externally worn components.

Turning a Long-Held Vision into Reality

The launch of TICI UNICO marks the realisation of a vision that has inspired hearing scientists, engineers, audiologists, surgeons, and people with hearing loss for decades: an entirely implanted hearing solution that enables people to hear throughout their daily lives.

Two of the first surgeons worldwide to implant TICI UNICO recipients have witnessed firsthand the impact this technology can have on people's lives.

Prof. Philippe Lefèbvre, Head of the ENT Department at CHU Liège, highlights the significance of the innovation itself: “TICI UNICO is a game changer. I initially thought the main advantage would be that it is invisible, but it is much more than that. Twenty-four-hour hearing is a real change in the implant world. It brings something people have wanted for a long time and opens the door to a completely new generation of hearing implants.”

Prof. Joachim Müller, Associate Professor for Otology and Cochlear Implants at LMU University Hospital Munich, emphasises the difference a hearing implant solution worn entirely under the skin can make for recipients: “Hearing loss is often an invisible handicap, yet people frequently have to disclose it through external devices. With TICI UNICO, patients can hear and nobody can see the device from the outside. What we learn from patients is that they feel more normal and are able to participate in everyday life with greater confidence.”

For recipients, the impact goes beyond invisibility and extends to the freedom of hearing without having to think about technology throughout the day.

Thomas, one of the first TICI UNICO recipients, describes the experience: "The biggest difference is that I don't have to think about my hearing technology anymore. I wake up hearing, I fall asleep hearing, and I can enjoy everyday moments without putting anything on or taking anything off. It simply feels like hearing is part of my life again."

Who May Benefit from TICI UNICO?

TICI UNICO is intended for people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss who may benefit from a cochlear implant.

People considering TICI UNICO may value:

• A completely invisible hearing solution
• Continuous access to sound throughout the day and night
• The freedom of a completely implanted solution with no external components.

Eligibility is determined through a comprehensive assessment by a hearing implant specialist. There is no upper age limit for candidacy.

Continuing MED-EL's Legacy of Innovation

As a global leader in hearing implants, MED-EL has spent decades pioneering technologies that help people reconnect with the sounds that matter most. With TICI UNICO, the company is once again pushing the boundaries of innovation while staying true to its mission of helping people overcome hearing loss and experience the joy of sound. "Seeing TICI UNICO become a reality is a big dream come true," adds Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair. "I hope it gives people the opportunity to live full and connected lives, with hearing loss no longer at the centre of their everyday thoughts, allowing them to focus on what truly matters for many years to come."

TICI UNICO has received CE Mark approval and is being introduced in various European markets. The MED-EL UK & Ireland team will provide further information about local availability, eligibility, and access in due course.

For more information about TICI UNICO, please visit https://hearlife.medel.com/campaigns/tici

About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 3,100 employees from around 90 nations and 30 locations worldwide.

The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 140 countries to enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com/en-gb

Senior Marketing Manager
Natalie Dippenaar
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