Communication using thought alone? Unbabel unveils AI project to give us superhuman capabilities

Unbabel, a language translation services startup, is developing a brain-to-computer interface called Halo. The device uses an EMG system to measure muscle response and electrical activity in response to a nerve's stimulation of the muscle. The system measures how the wearer of an EMG device would react when thinking of a word, helping to build up a set of signals which correlated to real words. These signals are then fed into a language model, creating a 'personalized LLM'. The wearer can then communicate via text without moving or typing, simply by thinking of the words they want to say.

The company is now working with the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon to explore potential applications for patients with conditions like ALS and Cerebral Palsy who struggle to communicate verbally. The device is expected to be deployed to the first ALS users by the end of the year. Unbabel's Halo is currently capable of around 20 words per minute of equivalent communication, with a target of 80 words per minute for consumer use.

Key takeaways:

Unbabel, a language translation services startup, is developing a brain-to-computer interface that uses an EMG system and Generative AI to translate thoughts into text messages.
The system, dubbed 'Halo', measures how the wearer of an EMG device reacts when thinking of a word, building up a set of signals which correlate to real words and feeding those signals into an LLM to create a 'personalized LLM'.
Unbabel is working with the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon to potentially use the system for patients with ALS and other conditions that make communication difficult.
The current version of Halo can achieve around 20 words per minute of equivalent communication, with a target of 80 words per minute for consumer use.

Communication using thought alone? Unbabel unveils AI project to give us superhuman capabilities | TechCrunch

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