Voice Restoration with Silent Speech Interfaces (ReSSInt)

Abstract

ReSSInt aims at investigating the use of silent speech interfaces (SSIs) for restoring communication to individuals who have been deprived of the ability to speak. SSIs are devices which capture non-acoustic biosignals generated during the speech production process and use them to predict the intended message. Two are the biosignals that will be investigated in this project: electromyography (EMG) signals representing electrical activity driving the facial muscles and invasive electroencephalography (iEEG) neural signals captured by means of invasive electrodes implanted on the brain. From the whole spectrum of speech disorders which may affect a person's voice, ReSSInt will address two particular conditions: (i) voice loss after total laryngectomy and (ii) neurodegenerative diseases and other traumatic injuries which may leave an individual paralyzed and, eventually, unable to speak. To make this technology truly beneficial for these persons, this project aims at generating intelligible speech of reasonable quality. This will be tackled by recording large databases and the use of state-of-the-art generative deep learning techniques. Finally, different voice rehabilitation scenarios are foreseen within the project, which will lead to innovative research solutions for SSIs and a real impact on society by improving the life of people with speech impediments.

Künstliche Intelligenz und Ethik im Gesundheitswesen – Spagat oder Symbiose?

“…Hier könnten insbesondere biosignalbasierte adaptive Systeme [26] einen Beitrag leisten, indem sie z. B. hel-fen, die verbleibenden sprachlichen und kommunikativen Fähigkeiten einer er-kranktenPersonzu unterstützen [27][28][29][30]. Ebenso könnten diese Systeme lernen zu erkennen, durch welche Angebote und Anregungen die an Demenz erkrankte Person wieder zu mehr aktiver Teilnahme (englisch: "Engagement") am Alltagsgeschehen angeregt werden könnte [31][32][33][34].…”