A Brain Implant ‘Speech Neuroprosthesis’ Helps Paralyzed People Speak

An implanted brain-computer interface functioning as a “neuroprosthesis” was able to decode neural activity of attempted speech and translate it into text or sound. The interface was tested with an individual with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) who is no longer able to speak intelligibly. The individual’s attempted speech was decoded at 62 words per minute (the rate of natural conversation is 160 words per minute). The error rate was 9.1% on a 50-word vocabulary, and 23.8% on a 125,000-word vocabulary. The researchers concluded that the interface was a . . .