Brain Implant Enables Near-Instant Speech

A researcher connects a BCI system to a participant.

DAVIS, Calif. 2025-06-29

Giving voice to the voiceless through neural tech.

A new BCI translates brain signals into real-time speech for those with paralysis.

• Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are showing promise in restoring communication for people with paralysis.
• New research focuses on translating brain signals directly into sounds, enabling real-time speech.
• A recent study participant with ALS was able to communicate more effectively using this technology.
• Traditional brain-to-text systems often suffer from delays and limited vocabularies.

The ability to translate thoughts into audible speech in real-time is now closer than ever, thanks to innovative brain-computer interfaces. These BCI systems are designed to help individuals with paralysis communicate.

Overcoming Limitations of Brain-to-Text Systems

Traditional approaches to BCI speech aids often involve brain-to-text translation. Sentences appear on a screen after a delay, long after the user conceived them. The process of speech synthesis adds more delay. Brain-to-text systems also grapple with limited vocabularies, often supporting dictionaries of only around 1,300 words. They often fail when users attempt to speak different languages or use uncommon words.

Did you know? In 2024, Stavisky’s team published research on a brain-to-text system with 97.5 percent accuracy.

The Voice Dilemma

In 2024, Stavisky’s team published research with a brain-to-text system boasting 97.5 percent accuracy. Stavisky noted, “Almost every word was correct, but communicating over text can be limiting, right? Sometimes you want to use your voice. It allows you to make interjections, it makes it less likely other people interrupt you—you can sing, you can use words that aren’t in the dictionary.”

A New Approach: Extracting Sound Directly

Wairagkar designed a prosthesis to translate brain signals into sounds, rather than words, in real time.

Quick fact: Traditional BCI systems often suffer from high latency, causing significant delays in communication.

Real-World Application

How does this new BCI technology work in practice? The technology was tested on a 46-year-old man, known as T15, who suffers from ALS. David M. Brandman, a neurosurgeon and co-author of the study, explained that T15 is severely paralyzed, making his speech very difficult to understand. “I’ve known him for several years, and when he speaks, I understand maybe 5 percent of what he’s saying,” Brandman said. Before this study, T15 used a gyroscopic head mouse to control a cursor on a computer screen for communication.