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TICI UNICO

The Invisible Cochlear Implant

Imagine never having to think about your hearing loss. Waking up to the sound of the birds outside your window. Listening to your favourite track while you shower. Hearing your baby call out during the night without anything in or on your ear.

With TICI UNICO, you don’t have to imagine anymore. It’s the world’s first and only totally invisible cochlear implant, bringing a new level of hearing freedom if you have severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss.

Two people on a sailboat enjoying time together on a lake
 An Invisible Hearing Solution

The world’s first and only totally invisible cochlear implant.

 Total Hearing Freedom

Forget about your hearing loss and live the life you want to live.

 Hear 24 Hours a Day

TICI UNICO gives you non-stop access to sound, even while you sleep.

 Breakthrough Microphone Technology

TICI's microphone offers the same level of hearing performance as our world-leading classic cochlear implant system.

Discover exactly how TICI UNICO can help you hear with our free, downloadable guide.


Download Free Guide

TICI UNICO: A New Way to Hear

TICI UNICO is the first hearing solution of its kind. It helps people with severe-to-profound hearing loss understand sound, just like a classic cochlear implant. But everything, including the microphone, is implanted under the skin.


How Hearing Works With an Invisible Cochlear Implant

  1. TICI picks up sounds through the skin and converts them to electrical pulses.
  2. These electrical pulses stimulate the inner ear (cochlea), bypassing the non-functioning hair cells.
  3. The auditory nerve carries these signals to the brain.

How Can TICI UNICO Help Me?

Just like classic cochlear implants, TICI UNICO can help you reconnect with the sounds around you. Think easier phone calls and conversations as well as better music enjoyment.

But TICI brings a new level of convenience. With non-stop access to sound and a completely invisible design, you can live your life without any limits.

  • Forget about your hearing loss
  • Access sound whenever you want to
  • No worrying about an external hearing device
  • Reduced hearing loss stigma
  • Proven hearing quality
Thomas, TICI UNICO Recipient
"It's basically on 24 hours. I can go into the shower with it. I can run when it's raining. That makes life a lot easier for me. I have the ability to live, more or less, a normal life."

Thomas,
TICI UNICO Recipient

Jenny, TICI UNICO Recipient
"I can hear my daughter at night now. I can leave TICI on all night long—it’s reliable. If she needs something and cries, I hear her right away and can respond."

Jenny,
TICI UNICO Recipient

Harald, TICI UNICO Recipient
"When I go swimming with my son, I can hear everything he does—when he laughs, when he’s happy. And I wouldn’t have been able to do that without TICI."

Harald,
TICI UNICO Recipient

Two people enjoying a fairground ride

Leave Hearing Loss Behind

Nothing on your ear. Nothing in your ear. Nothing to think about. TICI UNICO is just there. No worrying about losing your hearing device. Or getting it wet. Just the freedom to live your life without being held back by your hearing loss.

Surfer underwater after riding through a breaking wave

Jump In

Want to jump in the lake or explore the depths of the seas? Do it—and hear everything! No need to worry about your hearing aid getting wet.

Cyclists riding together on a forest road

Go Wild

The wind in your hair but not in your ear. No worrying about losing your device. Whatever your hobby, TICI is right there with you.

Two people sharing a close moment

Get Cozy

Hear all those intimate moments that make life special. Live in the moment—no worrying about extra devices.

A couple trying on sunglasses at an outdoor market

Wear Whatever

Put on the sunnies, glasses, and headwear you want to, without any hearing device to get in the way.

  

They’ll See Nothing.
You’ll Hear Everything.

Morning bird song. Your favourite lyrics. Heartfelt conversations. TICI can't be seen, but its breakthrough microphone can still reunite you with all your favourite sounds. So that you have the power to hear but also the power to choose when you tell people about your hearing loss.

Mother and baby sleeping side by side in a bed
 

Hear Around the Clock

Wake up and go. TICI is right there with you, 24 hours a day. You can hear while it’s charging, which only takes around an hour.** The battery lasts up to 40 hours between charges.* And because you can keep TICI on when you sleep, you can hear your loved ones call out or take those urgent phone calls. Or turn TICI off if you prefer to sleep in silence.

24/7

Hear all day, every day.

~40 hours

Lasts 40 hours between charges.

1h

Charges in around 1 hour.

0 mins

No time without hearing.

Two people sitting outside a camper van in a forest campsite

The Hearing Quality You Deserve

Hearing performance is at the heart of TICI. Developed by MED-EL, the world’s leading hearing implant company, TICI UNICO is based on decades of hearing expertise. That means a hearing solution individualised to your unique ear and a microphone that delivers high sound quality.

 

Achieve Your Best Hearing

TICI UNICO is tailored to your individual ear, so you can experience closest to natural hearing and superior hearing performance.

 

Intelligent Microphone Technology

TICI UNICO’s microphone is designed to deliver clear, high‑quality sound through the skin.

 

Uncompromised Performance

The first and only invisible cochlear implant that matches the hearing performance of classic CIs with external audio processor microphones.

Who Can Get TICI UNICO?

Struggling with phone calls? Hearing aids no longer strong enough? Relying on lip-reading? These are all signs that you might have severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss and could qualify for an invisible cochlear implant.

Visit a hearing expert to help determine if TICI UNICO could be an option for you.


Reach Out to Our Team

 

No upper age limit

 

Severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss

 

Little or no benefit from hearing aids

Your Next Steps

Think that TICI UNICO could help you? Here are the steps to getting an invisible cochlear implant and unlocking a new level of hearing freedom.

1

Find a Specialist

Contact your local MED-EL team so that we can put you in touch with a TICI specialist near you.


Contact Us
2

Assessment

Next, you’ll undergo routine assessments to ensure you’re a candidate for an invisible cochlear implant and look into any additional factors your TICI team should consider. Your team will walk you and your family through the specifics of what to expect in the following steps.

3

Implantation

To implant TICI, the surgical procedure is straightforward and lasts between 1.5 - 3 hours under either general or local anaesthesia. Recipients are usually back on their feet the next day. Your hospital stay may last one or more days, depending on your individual needs and what’s typical in your area.

4

Activation

About four weeks after implantation, you’ll have your first fitting. This “activation day” is when your audiologist will turn on your TICI for the first time and you’ll hear your first new sounds. Your TICI’s audio settings will be adjusted to fit your hearing preferences.

5

Rehabilitation

After activation, it’s important to follow up with a rehabilitation program so you can adapt to hearing through your implant. Rehabilitation is essential to get the most out of TICI. It can be done together with speech-language professionals and with at-home listening exercises.

Unlock Hearing Freedom

Want to find out more about TICI UNICO and how it can help you hear? Request your guide to all things TICI now, free of charge, and with no obligation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

TICI is a invisible cochlear implant, sometimes called a totally implantable cochlear implant. Everything, including the microphone, is completely implanted under the skin. There's no external device.

If you have severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss, you could be a candidate for an invisible cochlear implant. Reach out to your audiologist or find a specialist via our clinic finder for an assessment.

TICI UNICO is completely implanted and truly invisible, while still offering the benefits of a classic cochlear implant. This means you can experience carefree hearing, without worrying about TICI getting wet or losing your hearing device. It also gives you non-stop access to sound, meaning that you can hear while you sleep and charge your device.

TICI UNICO is simple to charge. You just need to place your GoPod over your implant. TICI UNICO typically charges in around an hour** and lasts around 40 hours between charges.*

TICI's battery lasts up to 40 hours between charges.* We recommend charging your TICI UNICO once a day so you can enjoy your day without worrying about battery status.

Yes! We recommend using bone conduction headphones to send sound to your TICI. Alternatively, you can place over-the-ear headphones over the microphone of your TICI.

Of course! If you need a hearing break or like to sleep in silence, you can easily turn TICI off using the GoPod.

Yes! You can still hear while TICI is charging.

TICI is fully implanted and has no external parts. That means water, dust, and wind can’t get to it, and you can hear during all your favourite activities, from swimming to snorkeling.

Yes! TICI UNICO is MR conditional at 1.5 T and 3.0 T, allowing hassle-free MRIs* with no surgery.**

* TICI UNICO is MR conditional. Recipients with TICI UNICO may be safely MRI scanned following the conditions detailed in the instructions for use.
** Unless required for diagnostic reasons.

Listening to music works like it does for someone without hearing loss: with headphones! We recommend bone conduction headphones but you can also use standard OTE headphones—you just need to position them over TICI's microphone.

You can switch TICI UNICO to processor mode and use it with a MED-EL audio processor, such as RONDO 3 or SONNET 3. But as TICI UNICO's microphone performs just as well as that of an external audio processor, there's no reason why you would need to!

TICI is built to offer you long-term hearing, with a proven, robust design comparable to classic cochlear implants. The battery itself is designed to last and typically offers a full day of hearing from a single charge, even after 15 years of use.***

TICI lets people hear those everyday body sounds that people without hearing loss experience. This can be remarkable and emotional moment, as it can be the first time you've heard these sounds—or perhaps the first time in many years. Hearing them is a natural part of rediscovering hearing in its full richness. These sounds usually fade into the background as they become part of a normal listening experience.

Technical Data

Electrode Arrays

FLEX Series

The softest and most flexible electrode arrays, designed for Structure Preservation and Complete Cochlear Coverage. Featuring 19 active and physical platinum electrode contacts and FLEX-tip technology for atraumatic insertion. All FLEX series electrodes feature a green orientation marker for improved visibility and positioning during insertion.


FLEX34

  • 28.6 mm stimulation range
  • Diameter at basal end: 1.3 mm
  • Dimensions at apical end: 0.5 x 0.4 mm

FLEXSOFT

  • 26.4 mm stimulation range
  • Diameter at basal end: 1.3 mm
  • Dimensions at apical end: 0.5 x 0.4 mm

FLEX28

  • 23.1 mm stimulation range
  • Diameter at basal end: 0.8 mm
  • Dimensions at apical end: 0.5 x 0.4 mm

FLEX26

  • 20.9 mm stimulation range
  • Diameter at basal end: 0.8 mm
  • Dimensions at apical end: 0.5 x 0.3 mm

CLASSIC Series

Features 24 active and physical platinum electrode contacts.

STANDARD

  • 26.4 mm stimulation range
  • Diameter at basal end: 1.3 mm
  • Diameter at apical end: 0.5 mm

* If implant battery is fully charged. Battery life dependent on individual usage.
** If charged daily. Exact charging time depends on battery level of the implant, GoPod, and skin thickness variations.
*** Based on calculations and available performance data, the battery is expected to last at least 15 years with one charging cycle per day. This estimate includes worst-case conditions, defined as clinical implant settings resulting in the highest expected energy consumption. Actual performance may vary.
**** Whereby “free” means “not made with latex” according to current FDA guidance: “Recommendations for Labeling Medical Products to Inform Users that the Product or Product Container is not Made with Natural Rubber Latex”, 2014.
***** TICI UNICO is MR conditional. Recipients with TICI UNICO may be safely MRI scanned at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla following the conditions detailed in the Medical Procedures Manual.