Scientists from the University of California, Davis, have unveiled a brain implant that can give even Elon Musk’s Neuralink a run for its money . The development allowed a paralyzed person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) not only to speak, but also to “sing” through a computer.
The technology uses four microelectrode arrays implanted in the speech area of the brain and artificial intelligence to instantly convert neural signals into synthesized speech. The system does not “read minds” but decodes the signals the brain generates when it tries to use speech muscles.
Thanks to algorithms trained on recordings of the patient’s voice before the disease, the synthesized speech sounds natural. The signal delay is less than 10 ms. The technology can recognize intonations, questions, exclamations and even simple melodies.
Unlike previous systems, this one reproduces not only words, but also interjections (like “uh” or “hm”), accents in sentences, and even made-up words. In a demonstration video, the patient was able to “sing” by modulating his voice on three notes.
So far, the system has only been tested on one patient, but scientists plan to expand the research to people with other forms of speech loss. Neuroscientists are already calling it a breakthrough in neuroprosthetics, opening up new possibilities for paralyzed people.