Paralyzed Patient Speaks Using Brain-Machine Technology
Researchers at Tel Aviv University and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center have successfully developed a speech-brain-computer interface that can read a patient’s thoughts and vocalize them. In this groundbreaking study, electrodes implanted deep in a patient’s brain transmitted imagined syllables as electrical signals to a computer, which then vocalized them. This innovation could help completely paralyzed individuals communicate.
The study involved an epileptic patient with electrodes already implanted for medical reasons. Researchers recorded the brain activity associated with the syllables /a/ and /e/ using deep learning and machine learning to identify specific brain cells. The computer was able to recognize and vocalize these syllables from the patient’s thoughts.
This early-stage research aims to eventually achieve full speech communication for paralyzed individuals. The technique could also be used preemptively for ALS patients to learn their speech patterns before they lose the ability to speak. This study marks a significant step toward developing a brain-computer interface for voluntary communication in paralyzed patients.