Brain-computer interface enables patient with ALS to speak

Researchers at UC Davis developed a brain-computer interface that allows a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to communicate by decoding his neural signals into speech. This system, which requires minimal calibration, was tested on a 45-year-old man with severe speech impairment due to ALS. The interface achieved over 99% accuracy in decoding a 50-word vocabulary and maintained high accuracy with an expanded vocabulary over several months. The participant used the device to communicate at a rate of about 32 words per minute, providing significant hope for people with paralysis.