Brain-Computer Implant Restores Speech
“[To restore speech], the electrode panel implanted on the patient’s brain was designed to pick up not only her brain signals related to speech but also those that would’ve moved her mouth and jaw and created facial expressions as she spoke. The panel comprised a total of 253 electrodes, which were connected to a bank of computers via a cable plugged into a port on the patient’s head. To train the software to translate the signals coming in through the electrodes, the participant—who has severe paralysis caused by a brainstem stroke—first spent several weeks repeating different phrases so that the AI could learn to recognize how her brain activity matched up with 39 distinct sounds in the spoken English language. Meanwhile, another machine learning AI tool helped translate the signals associated with facial movements and combine them with facial animation software from U.K. software developer Speech Graphics, resulting in a digital avatar that could move its face and speak as a proxy for the participant.” MORE WITH VIDEO
Image Credit: New Atlas