25-Sep-18 | News

Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently”

Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently”

Electrodes on the face and jaw pick up otherwise undetectable neuromuscular signals triggered by internal verbalisations.

 

As Microlink’s CEO Nasser Siabi says ”with the modern technologies we can confidently say that there are no disabilities, there are just barriers for people to live and work independently; with the right tools and interventions, anything is possible. The sign of an inclusive society is when we remove these barriers by carefully designing the work and living environments to cater for those with health conditions or disabilities” .

MIT researchers have developed a computer interface that can transcribe words that the user verbalises internally but does not actually speak aloud.

The system consists of a wearable device and an associated computing system. Electrodes in the device pick up neuromuscular signals in the jaw and face that are triggered by internal verbalizations — saying words “in your head” — but are undetectable to the human eye. The signals are fed to a machine-learning system that has been trained to correlate particular signals with particular words. Read the full article!