A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers has created a one-of-a-kind headset called AlterEgo, which allows the user to communicate with a computer system by just thinking what you want to say, seemingly like how Apple device users command Siri, but intuitively.
AlterEgo can be worn like a normal headset but a part of it runs along from ears to the side of the mouth.
The researchers, led by MIT alumnae Arnav Kapur, discovered that internal voicing physically sends out delicate signals to some locations in the face. Electrodes from the device pick up and transport these signals to a machine learning system which decodes it to words or actions.
Currently, the researchers say that AlterEgo has achieved 92% accuracy rating through prototype tests and it may improve as the time goes by in each use. According to Kapur, they think they ‘will achieve to communicate a full conversation someday’.
Besides the ability to comprehend what the user wants to say, the device can also ‘talk back’ to the user through bone conduction which does not block the ear canals.
They anticipate that AlterEgo can soon help those who have speaking disabilities or be valuable to those who work in high-noise environments such as power plants and tarmacs.
Source: Forbes