VORP 503 - Vibrating Ossicular Prosthesis

The VORP 503 is the implantable component of the VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE system and consists of:

  • an internal coil,
  • a magnet to hold the SAMBA audio processor in place over the implant
  • a demodulator to receive and convert the electrical signals from the SAMBA audio processor
  • a conductor link
  • the Floating Mass Transducer (FMT) which is attached onto a mobile middle ear structure (e.g. auditory ossicles) to cause these structures to vibrate.

The FMT is the core part of the implant. With a length of 2.3 mm it is smaller than a grain of rice. The simplicity of this innovative technology is one of the reasons for its reliability, its flexible field of application, and the optimal compensation of different types of hearing loss.

Fascinating facts about the FMT

  • At just 2,3 mm, the FMT is smaller than a grain of rice.
  • If we were to multiply everything by 10,000, the FMT would be 23 m long and 18 m wide. Nevertheless, it would only move by 1 mm when vibrating.
  • Even though the FMT movement is very small, it is so rapid that it would cover a distance of some 66 km each year in constant operation.
  • Over 13 years, its continuous vibrations would be the equivalent of the FMT covering the distance between Paris and Berlin.