A bionic cochlea includes a fluid filled vessel having a flexible window disposed in one or its walls. The flexible window flexes when exposed to an acoustic pulse to produce an acoustic pressure pulse in the fluid inside the vessel. A plurality of piezoelectric nanowires is disposed on a flexible membrane disposed within the fluid filled vessel. The nanowires vibrate in response to at least one predetermined wavelength in the acoustic pressure pulse and produce electrical signals. Electrical wires in communication with the nanowires receive the electrical signals and pass these signals through the walls of the vessel to the mammalian auditory nerve.
