With Media Lab
The device presented by the change was developed at MIT Media Lab
The altered neural interface device is noninvasive and is being tested on people with multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is as if we were talking in silence.
One vestable device It may make obsolete the need to say aloud phrases like “Alexa, what time is it?”
The neural interface of Artificial Intelligence (IA) promises to allow users to communicate in silence just by thinking about words. Placed on the ear, the device facilitates everyday tasks through real-time communication with the internet.
“Gives you the power of telepathybut only for the thoughts you want to share, ” Afirma Arnav KapurExecutive Director of the Altergo, which the device last week, at a post on X/Twitter.
The device does not read brain activitybut predicts what the user means from the Signs sent by the muscles used in speechthen return audio information to the ear.
Investigators say this noninvasive technology can help people with Amyotrophic lateral (she) and multiple sclerosis (EM) They have communication difficulties but also intend to make it commercially available to the general public.
In a promotional video published on the Alterego website, Kapur describes the device as “UM Revolutionary Advance with potential to change the form as we interact with technology, with each other and with the world around us. ”
“The big question is: What is the probability of this potential will come to realize? ” Howard ChizeckElectrotechnical and Computer Engineer at the University of Washington in Seattle, heard by the magazine.
Chizeck considers that Technology seems viable And it represents less risks to privacy than communication devices and assistants like Alexa da Amazon, but Not convinced that it will be adopted on a large scale for commercial use.
Silent speaks
As those of Elon Muskusually require the surgical implantation of electrodes in the brain to record and send signs between neurons.
The change works differently. “Resorts to neuromuscular signs that would be used in speech, so It is as if we were talking in silence”Explains Chizeck.“ The big advantage is that it is not invasive. No need to put chips in the brain, avoiding risks of infection and surgery. ”
The device works at Measure speech patterns on your face. When someone speaks aloud, it articulates words without sound or only mentally pronounces theminformation is sent from the brain to the cranial nerves and articulatory muscles – Even if the face does not move.
O AlterEgo detects electrical signals in these musclessends the data to AI models that predict what the user means and then returns the answer through bone driving listeners.
The project altered in 2018. The original prototype was bulky and unusual, says Kapur, and its speech detection capacity was limited by the artificial intelligence of the time. It had reduced features, but it already allowed, for example, to do internet searches or “order pizzas”.
Since then, engineers have incorporated new AI speech recognition skills, and the project has become this year in a company.
Chizeck believes the device can be Useful in patients with her In the initial phase, but remember that The disease is progressive And it gradually reduces the ability to move the necessary muscles for speech, which can limit its usefulness in advanced phases.
“The device only works While the person has some control About the muscles of speech, ”he stresses.
Kapur expects to achieve commercial success with the alterego, and states that the device may for example allow text at the speed of thought, silently on the internet, or Keep silent conversations with other people who use similar devices.
