Scientists Create Decoder That Decodes Brain Signals Into Speech

Scientists Create Decoder That Decodes Brain Signals Into Speech

Scientists have developed a decoder that can translate brain activity directly into speech. Technology could in effect give voice back to people with conditions such as Parkinson’s.

The technology promises to transform the lives of people who rely on painfully slow communication methods that make a casual conversation impossible.

In future the brain-machine interface could restore speech to people who have lost their voice through paralysis and conditions such as throat cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The researchers used a flexible pad of electrodes called an electrocorticography array, or ECoG, that rests on the brain's surface to tap on the signals.

The researchers then fed the signals to a computer model of the human vocal system, to generate synthesized speech. The system was able to generate speech with 50-70 percent of comprehensible words. When further accuracy is achieved, it could potentially allow people to send texts straight from their brain.