Brain wave sensor enables voiceless speech

Device converts captured neurological activity into speech

At the recent Texas Instruments Developers Conference (TIDC) in Dallas, Ambient Corp. (Champaign, IL) gave the first live demonstration of how its new technology, the Audeo, will enable voiceless communication. The Audeo is a wireless sensor worn on the neck that captures neurological activity the brain sends to the vocal cords, and then digitizes this activity to turn it into speech. The device will offer life-changing options for people who have lost the ability to move or speak due to neurological disorders, Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson’s.

The Audeo technology gives voice to a person’s thoughts.

Thanks to the devices extremely low-power TI MSP430 16-bit MCU, the Audeo can last over eight hours on a single charge. “The Audeo can enable voiceless communication that is virtually as easy as just thinking about it,” said Michael Callahan, CEO and co-founder of Ambient.

The Audeo uses an electromyographic-type sensor to detect electrical signals sent from the brain to nerves near the surface of the skin at the throat when someone attempts to speak. It then uses an A/D converter and the MSP430, along with software algorithms in a separate PC-based MCU, to process and understand the incoming signals and then send them to an output. Once the signals are converted to words, you can create a synthesized voice.

During a keynote presentation at the conference, Ambient’s Callahan demonstrated this technology by using the device to place the world’s first voiceless cellphone call to Mike Hames, a TI senior vice president. The Audeo can send information to a mobile phone using Bluetooth. The company has also successfully controlled a wheelchair without the need of physical movementagain using brain signals. Ambient expects its first product to enable speech for individuals with ALS will be available before the end of 2008. More information can be found at http://www.theaudeo.com.

Jim Harrison