A small adhesive patch placed simply on the throat can produce certain words instead of using vocal cords, according to a study published on Tuesday, though this innovation is still far from effectively addressing speech disorders.
A statement from the journal "Nature Communications," where the study was published, explained that this patch, which is a small square measuring a few centimeters on each side, "monitors some muscle movements that are then converted into electrical signals and processed by an algorithm capable of recognizing words and translating them into language."
This device, which uses artificial intelligence, relies on the movements of the throat muscles rather than the vocal cords, making it feasible that it could one day partially replace them. The main advantage is that it is a very simple patch that can be easily applied without the need for surgery, allowing some patients to regain the ability to use language.
However, researchers predict that this device will not be able to assist patients in real-life situations for several years. It has only been tested so far on eight individuals without language issues. Currently, the patch can only reproduce phrases that have been previously recorded in the device's memory, such as "Happy Birthday" or "I love you," as stated in the study.
Zhiwen Qi, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the study's lead author, noted that this limitation "restrains the device's applications." Nevertheless, he affirmed that the study is promising, as the device understood what people meant in 95 percent of cases. He believes that more advanced algorithms could one day enable the patch to produce sentences "without needing to pre-record the vocal signals."
