LONE TREE, COLORADO — Cochlear Limited announced that its Cochlear Nucleus Nexa System has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, recognizing the cochlear implant platform’s ability to support future technology updates within the implanted device itself.
The recognition follows the system’s introduction in 2025, when Cochlear unveiled a new implant architecture designed to extend the potential for technological improvements beyond the external sound processor. The Nexa System received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in July 2025.
Unlike conventional cochlear implant systems, where most technology upgrades have historically been introduced through external processors, Nexa incorporates upgradeable firmware into the internal implant. According to Cochlear, this approach is intended to allow compatible future features and improvements to be delivered without additional surgery to replace the implanted component.
Recognizing an Upgradeable Cochlear Implant Platform
TIME included the Nucleus Nexa System in its annual Best Inventions collection, which highlights products and technologies across industries, including medical and healthcare innovation.
The publication’s feature emphasizes the system’s potential to evolve after implantation, a consideration particularly relevant for recipients who may rely on their cochlear implants for decades.
“With the Nucleus Nexa System, we set out to create a cochlear implant platform designed not just for the technology of today, but for the possibilities of tomorrow”
–Dig Howitt, CEO and President of Cochlear
“By bringing smart, upgradeable technology into the implant itself, the Nexa System opens up new possibilities for how cochlear implant technology can evolve over time. We’re incredibly proud to see that innovation recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2026, and even more excited about what it can mean for recipients in the years ahead.”
As detailed following the system’s FDA approval in 2025, the Nexa platform incorporates a redesigned chipset, internal memory, and power-management technology intended to improve efficiency and support future capabilities.
Technology Designed to Evolve Over Time
One of the distinguishing features of the Nucleus Nexa System is its ability to receive firmware updates within the implant. While external sound processor upgrades have long provided access to new hearing technologies, the internal implant has traditionally remained largely unchanged after surgery.
The Nexa System introduces an additional pathway for future improvements, potentially including new processing capabilities, diagnostic functions, and other features supported by its implant architecture.
The implant also includes onboard memory for securely storing a recipient’s individualized hearing settings, commonly known as MAPs. Through a feature called Smart Sync, these settings can be transferred to a compatible replacement sound processor, potentially simplifying the process when a device is lost or damaged.
Additional features include Dynamic Power Management, which adjusts power consumption based on the recipient’s needs, and compatibility with the Nucleus 8 Nexa and Kanso 3 Nexa Sound Processors.
In an August 2025 This Week in Hearing conversation with Gael Hannan, Brendan Murray, Cochlear’s Vice President of Cochlear Implant Product Portfolio, discussed how the redesigned implant could support future stimulation strategies, expanded diagnostic capabilities, and more convenient management of replacement processors.
Murray also explained that firmware updates could be delivered through clinical programming software, with app-based updates representing a potential future capability. The discussion highlighted how the platform’s design could affect both long-term recipient experiences and clinical workflows.
Long-Term Implications for Cochlear Implant Recipients
The ability to update an implanted device may have particular significance for children and younger adults who could depend on their cochlear implants for many years.
Rather than relying exclusively on replacement external processors to introduce technological improvements, the Nexa architecture is designed to provide another avenue for incorporating compatible advancements as they become available.
However, future features will depend on the development, compatibility, and availability of new technologies. The system’s upgradeable design does not guarantee that every future innovation can be delivered through a firmware update.
For clinicians, the system’s internal memory and diagnostic capabilities may also offer opportunities to simplify aspects of device management and long-term follow-up.
The recognition from TIME places these developments within a broader discussion about how implantable medical technologies can be designed to adapt over time, rather than remaining limited to the capabilities available when they are first implanted.
About Cochlear Limited
Cochlear Limited is a global developer of implantable hearing solutions headquartered in Australia, with Cochlear Americas based in Lone Tree, Colorado. Since 1981, the company reports helping more than 800,000 people in over 180 countries access hearing through its technologies. Cochlear employs more than 5,500 people worldwide and develops cochlear implants, bone conduction systems, and related hearing technologies.
Source: Cochlear
