AI-powered ‘smart choker’ gives voice to speech impaired

The device is what’s known as a silent speech interface (SSI), analysing non-vocal signals to decode speech silently, with the user simply mouthing the words. It is made from a sustainable bamboo-based textile, embedded with graphene ink strain sensors. Under strain, tiny, controllable cracks form in the graphene, with different vocal movements creating different patterns that can be recognised by AI.

Described in the journal npj Flexible Electronics, the smart choker could help people with speech impairments communicate. It's claimed the sensitivity of the sensors is more than four times higher than current (SSIs). Tests showed the smart choker showed could recognise words with over 95 per cent accuracy, while using 90 per cent less computational energy than existing devices.

“Current solutions for people with speech impairments often fail to capture words and require a lot of training,” said research lead Dr Luigi Occhipinti, from the Cambridge Graphene Centre. “They are also rigid, bulky and sometimes require invasive surgery to the throat.