April 01, 2025
Scientists have developed an experimental brain-computer implant that translates brain activity into sound, allowing a stroke survivor to regain her ability to speak. The breakthrough device, still in its experimental stages, translates thoughts about speech into real-time spoken words, offering hope for those who have lost the ability to communicate.
The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, focused on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who had been unable to speak for 18 years after a stroke. During a clinical trial, doctors implanted the device into her brain. According to co-author Gopala Anumanchipalli, the device “converts her intent to speak into fluent sentences.”
Unlike other brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for speech, which typically have a slight delay between thought and verbal output, this device minimizes this gap, making conversations more natural and reducing frustration and miscommunication. Researchers are optimistic that this technology could one day help many others regain their voices.
(Source)