Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Brain Speaks: Scientists Decode Words from Brain Signals
The Brain Speaks: Scientists Decode Words from Brain Signals (University of Utah News Release: September 6th, 2010)
The University of Utah research team succeeded in initial tests conducted to translate brain signals into words, enabling severely paralyzed people to speak their thoughts, using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but atop the brain.
"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.
However the method needs much more improvement and involves placing electrodes on the brain, he expects it will be a few years before clinical trials on paralyzed people who cannot speak due to so-called "locked-in syndrome."
The Journal of Neural Engineering's September issue has published Greger's study showing the feasibility of translating brain signals into computer-spoken words. (read Full PDF text here)
You can read the full News Release on the The University of Utah's official website here:
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