First-of-its-kind brain computer helps man with ALS speak in real-time
'Translating neural activity into text, which is how our previous speech brain-computer interface works, is akin to text messaging. It's a big improvement compared to standard assistive technologies, but it still leads to delayed conversation. By comparison, this new real-time voice synthesis is more like a voice call,' said Sergey Stavisky, senior author of the paper.The investigational brain-computer interface (BCI) was used during the BrainGate2 clinical trial at UC Davis Health. It consists of four microelectrode arrays surgically implanted into the region of the brain responsible for producing speech.
The researchers collected data while the participant was asked to try to speak sentences shown to him on a computer screen. (Photo: UCD)
advertisement'The main barrier to synthesizing voice in real-time was not knowing exactly when and how the person with speech loss is trying to speak. Our algorithms map neural activity to intended sounds at each moment of time. This makes it possible to synthesize nuances in speech and give the participant control over the cadence of his BCI-voice,' Maitreyee Wairagkar, first author of the study added.The system translated the participant's neural signals into audible speech played through a speaker very quickly — one-fortieth of a second.Researchers attributed the short delay to the same delay as a person experiences when they speak and hear the sound of their own voice.The technology also allowed the participant to say new words (words not already known to the system) and to make interjections. He was able to modulate the intonation of his generated computer voice to ask a question or emphasize specific words in a sentence.The process of instantaneously translating brain activity into synthesized speech is helped by advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.The researchers note that "although the findings are promising, brain-to-voice neuroprostheses remain in an early phase. A key limitation is that the research was performed with a single participant with ALS. It will be crucial to replicate these results with more participants."
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