Cochlear implants are a life-changing device for children or adults who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. Around 324,200 people around the world received implants in 2012; however, a lot more people suffering from hearing loss did not receive implants due to eligibility. Researchers from Colorado State University have developed a unique device that should be music to the ears (or tongues) of people who are not eligible for cochlear implants.

“It’s much simpler than undergoing surgery and we think it will be a lot less expensive than cochlear implants,” John Williams, associate professor in CSU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, said in a statement. “Cochlear implants are very effective and have transformed many lives, but not everyone is a candidate. We think our device will be just as effective but will work for many more people and cost less.”

Williams and his colleagues have been busy delving into sensory substitution, improving the brain’s ability to receive information via another source. A few examples of sensory substitution would be American Sign Language and Braille. So why the tongue? The tongue is home to thousands of nerves, and the region of the brain responsible for interpreting touch sensation from the tongue can adequately decode complicated information.

This new device works similarly to a cochlear implant, but where an implant sends electric impulses to the auditory nerve where the brain recognizes these impulses as useful information, CSU’s device sends these impulses to a mouthpiece packed with electrodes via Bluetooth. By pressing their tongue against the mouthpiece, users can feel impulses as tingling or vibration. Researchers hope that with training the brain will be able interpret specific patterns as words, effectively turning a tongue into ears.