Previously there haven’t been many practical technological solutions to issues faced by stoke patients, but a new device developed in China could soon alleviate the literal and figurative pains of shouting to be heard.
Researchers led by Qinsheng Yang at Beijing’s Tsinghua University recently created an incredibly thin patch capable of interpreting and projecting both barely voiced and even silently mouthed words when attached to the outside of a user’s throat.
A new “Graphene-based intelligent, wearable artificial throat”, detailed in a paper published this week in Nature Machine Intelligence, measures barely one square centimeter as well as 25 micrometers thick.
Following AI analysis, artificial sound is subsequently projected via the patch itself, which is capable of emitting up to 60 decibels-the volume for most standard conversations-via electrical input courtesy of the device battery that allows for the sound waves via temperature fluctuations.
Research testing showed that the device was over 99 percent accurate when used by people speaking audibly, and over 90 percent accurate for those who couldn’t.
As New Scientist explains, the new instrument could soon offer an invaluable tool for those working in loud environments, such as emergency responders and pilots, as well as those who simply might want a bit of a volume boost depending on their circumstances.
It’s an exciting time for vocal therapy devices-earlier this week, another team of researchers at Northwestern University also released their findings on a new wireless voice monitor that can detect and notify users of vocal strain and fatigue.