‘Multifunctional’ brain implant translates speech and gestures in real time

A new brain–computer interface (BCI) is the first of its kind to translate its user’s speech and movement at the same time. The device, tested in two people with forms of paralysis, uses artificial intelligence to convert electrical brain activity into text that appears on screen and to prompt a personalised animated avatar to move — all within seconds of the user’s intent. The work is “a step towards more multifunctional BCIs” that better capture the expressivity of communication than do current technologies, says bioengineer and study co-author Samantha Brosler.