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A paralyzed man who hasn’t spoken in 15 years uses a brain-computer interface that decodes his intended speech, one word at a time. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO Image from IEEE.org

a-man-using-an-interface-looking-at-a-screen-with-words-on-it

The seemingly simple conversational setup for the paralyzed man [in pink shirt] is enabled by both sophisticated neurotech hardware and machine-learning systems that decode his brain signals. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO Image from IEEE.org

a-photo-taken-from-above-shows-a-room-full-of-computers-and-other-equipment-with-a-man-in-a-wheelchair-in-the-center-facing-a-s

A paralyzed man who hasn’t spoken in 15 years uses a brain-computer interface that decodes his intended speech, one word at a time. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO Image from IEEE.org

a-man-using-an-interface-looking-at-a-screen-with-words-on-it

The seemingly simple conversational setup for the paralyzed man [in pink shirt] is enabled by both sophisticated neurotech hardware and machine-learning systems that decode his brain signals. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO Image from IEEE.org

a-photo-taken-from-above-shows-a-room-full-of-computers-and-other-equipment-with-a-man-in-a-wheelchair-in-the-center-facing-a-s

Description

A neuro-prosthetic can be utilized to allow paralyzed patients to communicate.  A neurosurgeon researcher from the University of California has found a way to use electrocorticography (ECoG) to monitor neural signals from the brain’s motor cortex which are used to produce language (going to the lips, larynx, tongue) and decode these signals using Artificial Intelligence.  This study involved creating a dataset made possible by patient volunteers that were awaiting surgery for epilepsy and had electrodes placed on their brain surface.  During this time, volunteers were asked to say words which were important and frequently used.  Their brains were monitored as well as their facial muscles, and tongue movement (using ultrasound).  With the electrode’s placed on the brain’s surface paralyzed individuals are able to generate words using the created dataset and Artificial Intelligence.  Words are produced by analyzing the neural signals of the paralyzed patients which would are usually used to produce speech. The NIH is further supporting this research and the future goal of allowing paralyzed people to communicate at a pace of 100 words per minute.

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Dr. Edward Chang

Bibliography

Chang, E. (2022, October 20). This Implant Turns Brain Waves into Words. IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://spectrum.ieee.org/brain-computer-interface-speech