Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device

Good news! Amazing stuff!

"Key takeaways

• Bioengineers at UCLA have invented a thin, flexible device that adheres to the neck and translates the muscle movements of the larynx into audible speech.
• The device is trained through machine learning to recognize which muscle movements correspond to which words.
• The self-powered technology could serve as a non-invasive tool for people who have lost the ability to speak due to vocal cord problems.

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From the abstract:

"Voice disorders resulting from various pathological vocal fold conditions or postoperative recovery of laryngeal cancer surgeries, are common causes of dysphonia. Here, we present a self-powered wearable sensing-actuation system based on soft magnetoelasticity that enables assisted speaking without relying on the vocal folds. It holds a lightweighted mass of approximately 7.2 g, skin-alike modulus of 7.83 × 105 Pa, stability against skin perspiration, and a maximum stretchability of 164%. The wearable sensing component can effectively capture extrinsic laryngeal muscle movement and convert them into high-fidelity and analyzable electrical signals, which can be translated into speech signals with the assistance of machine learning algorithms with an accuracy of 94.68%. Then, with the wearable actuation component, the speech could be expressed as voice signals while circumventing vocal fold vibration. We expect this approach could facilitate the restoration of normal voice function and significantly enhance the quality of life for patients with dysfunctional vocal folds."

Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device | UCLA The adhesive neck patch is the latest advance by UCLA bioengineers in speech technology for people with disabilities

Speaking without vocal folds using a machine-learning-assisted wearable sensing-actuation system (open access)

Fig. 1: Design of the wearable sensing-actuation system.