A new brain-computer interface (ICC), developed at UC Davis Health in the US, translates brain signals into speech with up to 97% accuracy – the most accurate system of its kind. A study of the experiment, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reports on the implantation of sensors in a man with severe speech impairment due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects the nerve cells that control movement throughout the body. The disease causes a gradual loss of the ability to stand, walk, and use one's hands. It can also cause a person to lose control of the muscles used to speak, leading to incomprehensible speech.
A new technology is being developed to restore communication for people who are unable to speak due to paralysis or neurological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It can interpret brain signals when a user tries to express themselves verbally, and convert them into text that is then “speaked” aloud by a computer.
To develop the system, the team enrolled Casey Harrell, a 45-year-old patient, in the clinical trial. Harrell had weakness in his arms and legs (quadriparesis). His speech was extremely difficult to understand (dysarthria). In June 2023, he had the device implanted. Four arrays of 256 microelectrodes were placed in the left precentral gyrus, an area of the brain responsible for coordinating speech.
In the first training session, the system took 30 minutes to achieve 99.6 percent word accuracy with a vocabulary of 50 words. “Our technology helped a paralyzed man communicate with friends, family and caregivers,” said David Brandman, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, Davis. The interface still needs to be refined and tested on more people.
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Andrea Hargraves is a contributor to Brytfmonline.com, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is committed to delivering clear, accurate, and reader-focused reporting that helps audiences stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Andrea’s work emphasizes useful information, balanced coverage, and stories that matter to everyday readers, making complex topics accessible and relevant to a wide audience.