Device lets people talk using thoughts

Brain–computer interfaces have enabled two people with paralysis to communicate with unprecedented accuracy and speed. Brain-reading implants were combined with deep-learning algorithms to recognise patterns in brain activity and translate them into text or words spoken by a synthetic voice. The devices decode up to 78 words per minute — slower than the 160 words per minute of natural conversations, but faster than any previous attempts. Both studies’ participants can still engage their facial muscles, and their speech-related brain regions are intact, but this won’t always be the case.