Two Chinese researchers have created a prototype device that can be taped to the skin to measure the motions and vibrations of the vocal cords and transform them into sounds.
The researchers also improved the device so it becomes thinner and lighter, so when attached to the neck like a temporary tattoo, it doesn't cause the wearer any discomfort, the German News Agency reported.
According to the ACS Nano journal, speech is actually a complex process that involves both motions of the mouth and vibrations of folded tissues, called vocal cords, within the throat. If the vocal cords sustain injuries or other lesions, a person can lose the ability to speak.
Researchers He Tian, Yi Yang, Tian-Ling Ren and colleagues used graphene on a thin sheet of polyvinyl alcohol film. The flexible device measured 0.6 by 1.2 inches, or about double the size of a person's thumbnail.
The researchers used water to attach the film to the skin over a volunteer's throat and connected it with electrodes to a small armband that contained a circuit board, microcomputer, power amplifier and decoder.
The Science Daily website reported that the instrument converts the throat's movements into emitted sounds, such as the words "OK" and "No."
The researchers say that, in the future, mute people could be trained to generate signals with their throats that the device would translate into speech.
