Health Sciences · Hospital for Sick Children
A small (6 x 9.5 cm) grey enclosure with blue lettering on its front surface. Attached to a socket at the top of the enclosure is a tan cord.
The cord terminates in two plugs, one of which is attached to a small grey component, a wrist mounted vibrator, which has a metal clip on one face. The other such component is missing, as is the wristband that would have held them.
The enclosure can be opened to reveal internal componentry including the circuit board and two rechargeable battery cells.
Accession Number: 2025.sk.48
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Plastic, Metal
A maker’s label on the rear face of the enclosure includes the following information: “Protected by// Patent No. 4,461,025.” The serial number on the label is missing or has worn away.
Written on one of the rechargeable cells: “3917”
Height = 9.5, Width = 6, Length of cord = 75
The Tactaid II + was designed for people with profound hearing loss. It consists of a body-worn enclosure containing components such as a microphone, speech processing electronics, and rechargeable batteries. Attached are two small vibrating elements that the user wears on a wrist strap.
The two-channel system uses a band pass filter to divide the incoming signal between low and high frequencies and to distribute sonic information between the two wrist-mounted vibrators in such a way as “to provide temporal, intensity and spectral information by altering the active vibrator and through changes in the presence and strength of vibrations.” (Galvin et al. (1999), 473)
This artifact is incomplete as it is missing one of the attached vibrators, as well as the wrist strap that they are worn with. The enclosure is worn and somewhat dirty, though intact. The enclosure and face plate are more easily separated than was likely intended.
Associated Instruments:
Audiological Engineering Corporation. Somerville, Massachusetts, USA.
Date of Manufacture: c. 1990
This is part of a small collection of artifacts, gathered by Archie’s Cochlear Implant Lab at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), that was photographed on 8 October 2025. The items represent various stages of the technology used since the lab’s founding in 1998.
These items remain on site and in possession of the Lab. They are used for teaching and demonstration purposes.
Karyn L. Galvin et al. (1999). “A Comparison of Tactaid II and Tactaid 7 Use by Adults with a Profound Hearing Impairment. Ear and Hearing.” Ear and Hearing 20, 6, 471–482.
Historical Notes: