Casey Harrell was diagnosed with ALS, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak. Doctors implanted tiny electrodes in the speech center of his brain to pick up his brain waves.
The electrodes connect to a computer that can translate his brain’s electrical signals into words, allowing him to “speak” again through a voice synthesizer.
Researchers used recordings of Harrell’s voice from before his illness to train an AI model to make the synthesized voice sound similar to his natural voice.
This brain-computer interface technology is the most accurate speech-decoding system described so far, correctly interpreting about 97% of Harrell’s intended words.
Other research groups are also working on similar systems to decode brain signals into speech, which could help restore communication for people paralyzed by disease or injury.
The researchers think these types of brain-computer interfaces could be available to doctors to prescribe in the next 5-10 years.
Source: Science News Explores
