TICI UNICO by MED-EL: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Rollout begins in European markets

First multi-channel cochlear implant developed1977Complete.
MED-EL company founded1990Complete.
First behind-the-ear processor launched1991Complete.
TICI UNICO pivotal study completedSep 2025Complete.
CE Mark approval received29 Sep 2026Complete.
Rollout begins in European marketsTarget Q4 2026Current milestone.
US FDA submission or approvalTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Q4 2026Rollout begins in European markets (next)
2027US FDA submission or approval
2027European market rollout

Current obstacles

Microphone fidelityTranscutaneous sound is dampened. Wind noise and feedback are harder to suppress.
Power efficiencyWireless power through skin limits efficiency; advanced AI features need more power.
Device replacementEnd-of-life replacement requires repeat surgery; more invasive than external processor swap.

Physics limits

Transcutaneous acoustic attenuationSound through skin loses high frequencies and adds noise; implanted mics cannot match external mics.
Wireless power rangeInductive coupling works only at short range (cm) and efficiency drops with misalignment.
Power constraints on featuresAdvanced AI noise filtering and directional hearing demand power that wireless transfer limits.

How it works

3 parts

Microphone

Sound through skin

Implanted microphone detects vibrations and pressure transmitted through tissue.

Processor

On-implant encoding

Signal processor converts sound to electrical pulses in real time.

Array

Cochlear stimulation

Electrodes deliver pulses to the cochlear nerve; each targets a frequency band.

Spec sheet

Spec	TICI UNICO
Components implanted	Microphone, processor, electrodes^R (reported)
Hears while sleeping	Yes^R (reported)
Swimming-safe	Yes^R (reported)
Clinical trial subjects	30^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Papers & demos

2 items

1990demo
MED-EL founded (opens medel.com)Hochmairs founded MED-EL in Innsbruck to commercialize cochlear implant tech.
1977demo
First multi-channel cochlear implant (opens en.wikipedia.org)Hochmairs developed multi-electrode implant. Dr. Burian performed first surgery in Vienna.

Update log

3 updates

About MED-EL

The team behind TICI UNICO

MED-EL

Cochlear implants, totally implantable, TICI UNICO, Austria

MED-EL is a private Austrian hearing-implant company founded in 1990 by Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, who developed the first microelectronic cochlear implant. In September 2026, MED-EL announced TICI UNICO, the world's first commercially available totally implantable cochlear implant.

Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair developed the first microelectronic cochlear implant in 1977 at TU Vienna.
Founded MED-EL in 1990 in Innsbruck, Austria; still privately held and CEO-led by Ingeborg.
TICI UNICO (Sep 2026) is the first totally implantable cochlear implant; all components beneath skin.

medel.com (opens medel.com)Company profile →

Founded: 199036 yrs
Headquarters: Austria
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Staff: ~2,800Jan 2026
Works in: NeurotechCochlear implants
Coverage: 1 program · 3 updateslatest 12d agochecked 11 Oct
Partners: Technical University of Vienna (opens tuwien.at)University of Innsbruck (opens uibk.ac.at)European regulators (CE Notified Body) (opens medel.com)
People: Ingeborg Hochmair (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder, CEO & CTOErwin Hochmair (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder & Professor (University of Innsbruck)

Spec

TICI UNICO

Components implanted

Microphone, processor, electrodes^R (reported)

Hears while sleeping

Yes^R (reported)

Swimming-safe

Yes^R (reported)

Clinical trial subjects

30^R (reported)

TICI UNICO

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Sound through skin

On-implant encoding

Cochlear stimulation

Spec sheet

Papers & demos

Update log

Tue 29 Sep

1990

1977

About MED-EL

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Sound through skin

On-implant encoding

Cochlear stimulation

Spec sheet

Papers & demos

Update log

Tue 29 Sep

1990

1977

About MED-EL