GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Translating Brain Waves into Speech

Analyzing brain waves, a team of scientists at the University of Utah has translated thoughts into speech. Eventually, the research could lead to a device that helps paralyzed people communicate far more effectively.

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Translating Brain Waves into Speech
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a device that allows the paralyzed to communicate through sniffing. While this invention is a major breakthrough for people with locked-in syndrome�such as sufferers of Lou Gehrig's disease�the task of sniffing out individual letters is tedious and time-consuming. Now scientists are working on an even better way for paralyzed people to communicate. A team of researchers at the University of Utah are beginning to decode speech directly from brain signals in an advancement that could help thousands of people.

The scientists were able to translate brain signals into words by implanting two grids of 16 microelectrodes between the skull and the brain. The results of the groundbreaking study are published in the September issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering.

An MRI shows the microelectrodes implanted into the patient's brain (source: Kai Miller, University of Washington).

"We have been able to decode spoken words using only signals from the brain with a device that has promise for long-term use in paralyzed patients who cannot now speak," says Bradley Greger, an assistant professor of bioengineering, in a University of Utah press release.

Next: Recording Brainwaves >>