Skin-stimulation devices and cochlear implants both serve as hearing prostheses for deaf people.

Evidence

For deaf people hearing aids can not be used, but hearing protheses such as cochlea implants or devices that stimulate the skin either by electrical current or mechanical vibration have been developed. All these devices have special advantages and disadvantages. The inhibition strategy, however, seems to be useful in the sound preprocessing system used in these devices. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 2016