The short version
- Cochlear’s Nucleus Nexa system was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, the company announced on October 20.
- The company says it is the only cochlear implant with onboard memory whose firmware can be upgraded after it is implanted.
- No outcome data for wearers or details of future upgrades were part of the announcement.
Cochlear announced on October 20 that its Nucleus Nexa system was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026. The company calls Nexa the “world’s first and only smart cochlear implant system”. In its footnote that means one thing: it is the only cochlear implant with onboard memory and upgradeable firmware. The US regulator’s approval letter cited in the release dates from 2025.
The difference is where improvements can land. A cochlear implant system has two parts: the implant placed in surgery and an external sound processor. Until now, Cochlear says, new features came through the external processor, while the implant stayed as it was on the day of surgery. With Nexa, updates can reach both. “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,” chief executive Dig Howitt said.
The announcement rests on Cochlear’s own release. It does not say what any future firmware would do, or how wearers hear with Nexa compared with earlier implants. TIME’s list is an editors’ selection, not a test of the device. Cochlear says it has helped more than 800,000 people hear since 1981.
