A revolution in medicine. An inconspicuous patch helps with a difficult condition
Perhaps soon people who have lost the ability to speak will be able to regain it. An inconspicuous patch can help with this.
Some people are mute and there may be many reasons for this. However, scientists have been trying for years to restore the voice, at least some of it. It turns out that in some cases, a seemingly ordinary patch can be beneficial. After applying it, the patient will be able to communicate with others using voice again.
An inconspicuous patch will allow patients to speak again
Scientists say it’s new self-adhesive patch could one day help people with the disorder speak again by using artificial intelligence to read throat muscle movements and turn them into speech. The study was published in Nature Communications by scientists from the University of California.
From the publication we learn that a patch attached to the skin is able to transform the movements of the laryngeal muscles into electrical signals, which in turn are translated into speech by machine learning algorithm, which is a form of artificial intelligence. The loudspeaker then plays aloud the sentences the person intended to say. The product is not in its final development phase and its functionality is currently limited to a few pre-recorded phrases.
Crucially, the patch works without having to pick up the vibrations of a person’s vocal cords, meaning it will help restore speech to people with damaged vocal cords. The device itself consists of several layers, among others from a coating causing magnetomechanical coupling and two with magnetic induction. The patch is flexible, adapts to the shape of the patient’s neck and is completely waterproof. The size of the device can be compared to a coin, and its weight is only 7 grams.
The tests were performed on eight patients who agreed to participate in the study. They were asked to say and whisper five sentences, including “Merry Christmas,” “I love you,” or “I don’t trust you.” They read the phrases while standing, walking and running to show that the patch would also work with movement.
The authors of the study themselves emphasize that they are still years away from the moment when their invention will be available to a wider group of patients.
