Brain-Computer Interface Lets Paralyzed Individuals Control Devices

By Aizaz khan

The progress in artificial intelligence has dramatically eased the lives of paralyzed individuals.

Brain reading technology, which utilizes artificial intelligence (AI), enabled two paralyzed individuals to communicate with each other at high speed and with great accuracy with the same experiment as previously done in Artificial Intelligence Can Now Read Your Minds. Still, it is slightly different from the previous one.

The Brain-Computer Interface technology allows us to communicate effortlessly with paralyzed individuals, engaging in conversations at high speeds. Now, we can converse with any paralyzed individual whenever we wish.

This technology is quite fascinating! It involves a computer interface developed by two groups of researchers.

They’ve managed to create brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can transform our thoughts into written text or even into speech produced by a computer-generated voice.

These BCIs have demonstrated the remarkable ability to decode speech at speeds of 62 words per minute and 78 words per minute, respectively. While natural conversations typically occur at around 160 words per minute, these new technologies have surpassed all earlier endeavors in speed.

If you were to watch this video, you’d witness a truly successful experiment. Edward Chang, a skilled neurosurgeon associated with the University of California, San Francisco, and his dedicated team collaborated with a remarkable woman named Ann in this study.

Despite facing a brainstem stroke that left her unable to speak 18 years ago, Ann’s journey became a testament to their achievement.

Chang and his crew developed tailor-made algorithms to transform Ann’s brain signals into a synthetic voice and a digital avatar that mirrors her facial expressions. Adding a personal touch, they fine-tuned the voice to match Ann’s tone before her injury. This was done by training the algorithm using snippets from her wedding video.

Ann shared her heartfelt sentiments in a post-study feedback session with the researchers, saying, “Hearing a voice that resembled mine was truly moving. Having the ability to speak for myself again was an immense breakthrough!”

Chang underlines the significance of voice beyond mere communication, noting, “Our voice is tightly intertwined with our identity. It’s not solely a means of communication; it’s a reflection of who we are.