With a radical new approach, doctors have found a way to extract a person’s speech directly from their brain.
The breakthrough is the first to demonstrate how a person’s intention to say specific words can be gleaned from brain signals and turned into text fast enough to keep pace with natural conversation.
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The work, funded by Facebook, was possible thanks to three epilepsy patients who were about to have neurosurgery for their condition. Before their operations went ahead, all three had a small patch of tiny electrodes placed directly on the brain for at least a week.
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[Researcher Edward Chang] used the electrodes to record brain activity while each patient was asked nine set questions and asked to read a list of 24 potential responses.
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Once trained, the software could identify almost instantly, and from brain signals alone, what question a patient heard and what response they gave, with an accuracy of 76% and 61% respectively.
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Though rudimentary, the system allowed patients to answer questions about the music they liked; how well they were feeling; whether their room was too hot or cold, or too bright or dark; and when they would like to be checked on again.
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