Adhesive stickers that use AI could help people with voice disorders speak: Researchers

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles built a soft adhesive patch that they say can turn throat movements into speech. It is made of a special material that can convert motion into electricity and can potentially help people with voice disorders speak better.

The patch created by the researchers converts the motion of users’ larynx into electrical signals and these signals are processed by a machine learning algorithm that will use them to generate speech, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Communications. The paper says the system works with an accuracy of up to 94.68 per cent. “We expect this approach could facilitate the restoration of normal voice function and significantly enhance the quality of life for patients with dysfunctional vocal folds,” wrote the researchers.

Vocal cord dysfunction is when peoples’ vocal cords (or vocal folds) close when they are supposed to be open. For people with this condition, opening the vocal cords is outside their control and apart from causing breathing problems, it will also give people problems with their voice. The technology from UCLA researchers could potentially help people with this dysfunction.

According to the researchers, existing solutions like handheld electrolarynx devices or other alternatives like “talk box” devices and surgical procedures can be too inconvenient, uncomfortable or invasive. This presented the need to develop the wearable, noninvasive medical device they created. This technology can be especially useful for people who are about to or already have received treatment for voice disorders.