Please consider Scientists Create Speech From Brain Signals.
Scientists are reporting that they have developed a virtual prosthetic voice, a system that decodes the brain’s vocal intentions and translates them into mostly understandable speech, with no need to move a muscle, even those in the mouth. (The physicist and author Stephen Hawking used a muscle in his cheek to type keyboard characters, which a computer synthesized into speech.)
“It’s formidable work, and it moves us up another level toward restoring speech” by decoding brain signals, said Dr. Anthony Ritaccio, a neurologist and neuroscientist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., who was not a member of the research group.
The new system, described on Wednesday in the journal Nature, deciphers the brain’s motor commands guiding vocal movement during speech — the tap of the tongue, the narrowing of the lips — and generates intelligible sentences that approximate a speaker’s natural cadence.
Previous implant-based communication systems have produced about eight words a minute. The new program generates about 150 a minute, the pace of natural speech.
The researchers also found that a synthesized voice system based on one person’s brain activity could be used, and adapted, by someone else — an indication that off-the-shelf virtual systems could be available one day.
The team is planning to move to clinical trials to further test the system. The biggest clinical challenge may be finding suitable patients: strokes that disable a person’s speech often also damage or wipe out the areas of the brain that support speech articulation.
This is fascinating research. Congrats to the researchers.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
The brain is a system. Broca’s area is where thoughts are converted to speech, and likely the study area of researcher’s work. If your private thoughts are a concern, be aware that there is a systemic difference between a thought and the impetus to speak it. Now, I know what you’re thinking, but….
Not by my book!
Why are my posts not appearing immediately? Are you moderating all posts here? Or just mine?
Maybe this only applies to posts with URL’s because I do see this post after doing it but a post I made last night pointing to a Wkiipedia article is not up yet?
Is this urgently needed? Have they completed the tests in Gitmo, yet, or do they have a more noble idea in mind? How about genetically modifying wheat so it has the same amount of protein it used to have before selective cultivation made it nutritionally poor storage of starch.
Congrats??????? Id rather have the few this would benefit stay disabled vs. what this will mostly be used for.
Wow. I’m sure all the disabled people will be overjoyed with YOUR decision for them!
Until you lose the ability to speak.
A lot going on in brain research lately. There is also this story: Can’t wait to upload my brain to a computer and achieve immortality!
Elon Musk says Neuralink machine that connects human brain to computers ‘coming soon’
Entrepreneur say technology allowing humans to ‘effectively merge with AI’ is imminent
Monday 22 April 2019
“effectively merge with AI”
He should perhaps focus on teaching his cars to NOT merge with concrete barriers first…… Babysteps and all…
Ha! Tesla and the people killed by the cars are just collateral damage in order to help prefect AI. Hell, how many hundreds of thousands of civilians died in Iraq and Afghanistan alone as collateral damage for the military-industrial complex here?
Well, I think it’s already been summed up as a really cool advance of technology, science, and engineering but also a terrifying tool ripe for abuse by governments.
Like all things, there is a responsibility that all things be left untainted. We’ve been lucky to keep space weapons free since Sputnik (1957) as long as we were able to. Given how long something isn’t weaponized these days, I would not be surprised if someone has already made the inquiry of the ability to use this as a means of interrogation.
It could certainly lead to a better lie detector.
A better lie detector! In the war of freedom against tyrany, what is a lie to one side, is a sacred necessity to another. Yes, in all things there is responsibility, but do you regard Mr Putin and his pals, and Mr Xi Jinping and his cronies, as “responsible” protectors of such things as freedom of speech and thought?
As with all technologies, this ghastly technology will be developed and honed and refined and polished! Smaller and less obtrusive implants will be made. Signals will probably become readable without implants, by simple eternal monitors, and so on and so on, and so on. Like the Internet, it will become virtually uncontrolable, because it will ensure power to the powerful who write the rules, and they won’t give it up – hell no!!
This is an absolutely appalling development for the Human Race.
I am in my mid 70’s; I am damned glad I am not in my 20’s!!
Are the american prison industry, the CIA and the deep state criminal gang with corrupt and/or narcissist puppets for presidents ‘responsible protectors of such things as freedom of speech and thought’ ??
Dude, none of this “reads thoughts!” It just helps people with their jaw blown off and tongue ripped out, make the sounds they were trying to make in the first place.
As for surveillance, it doesn’t do anything a microphone “implant” won’t do better, if people are for some reason “forced” to walk around with surveillance implants.
And as for communists vs Central Asian Muslims….. Let’s just say it’s not just hearsay that communism doesn’t work, period….
But Socialism is supposed to work. It’s the answer to everything. At least in Brooklyn, Queens, and Vermont.
I know it doesn’t read thoughts, but we are a paranoid bunch who love to assume our tin foil hats at the slightest excuse.
The decoder could synthesize speech when a participant silently mimed sentences. This is a long way away from recording thoughts from your brain but scary when they go 5g wireless into every home…haha
This is an absoluyte disaster for mankind. Nobody is thinking of the downside of this technology. The possibility now exists that private human thought, the last bastion of personal privacy, will be open to outside revelation, regardless of the wishes of the thinker.
The research behind this awful development is all dressed up in cosy language about helping sufferers “of strokes, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis etc. etc”, and I could quote additionally more comfortable analysis of intended benefits. But there is absolutely no reference to the downsides to such technology.
I am sure that every dictator, and strongman, will be delighted with such a development. No doubt the Chinese Communist Party will be hurrying to copy the research with a view to forcing it on the unfortunate Ouija Muslims in Xin Jiang. I guess the CCP’s approach will be to require every Ouija Muslim to have a brain implant inserted, accompanied by an appropriate “App” on their mobile phones, which will allow the Communist Party to know at all times, that each individual is thinking the right thoughts.
Mish, if you welcome this technology, in my personal opinion, you’re nuts!
There are ups and downs to everything in life, depending on your perspective. Myself, I think it would be YUGE to be able to put someone other examination where they could only relate the truth. Imagine what Trump’s examination would look like! [lol]