Detecting Speech Without Microphones

kyle90 writes "New Scientist is reporting on a new way of detecting speech without using microphones, using electrodes places on the neck that measure muscle activity and nerve impulses. Apparently the user doesn't even need to speak the words out loud in order for them to be detected. This looks like pretty neat technology; if used with cell phones it could give the user a little more privacy, and the rest of us a little more peace and quiet."

Re:Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tension of the throat muscles that tighten the vocal cords. But the motions of the mouth, lips, and especially of the tongue, are a nightmare to measure. And the sampling of the myo-electric signals typically used takes at least a half-a-second of data to then filter out valid muscular signals versus the large amount of electrical noise on the skin.

Don't expect this to ever beat the speed and usability of a normal throat mike. It's only usefulness is where a half-second or so delay is acceptable, and the silence is critical.

Re:Huh?

[Javanista]

Yeah, but nerves send data in both directions. You get feedback from the vocal cords when they're working (as well as all the other tissue around them). It just seems like 'mouthing' words would exclude a lot of data from those neural pathways vs. actually saying them...

Re:Technology

[argent]

But you'd look like a lunatic walking around moving your mouth but not talking?

People talking on handsfree cells already look like that.

Brin

[SWroclawski]

This is very similar to David Brin's idea in the Book "Earth" with people needing to wear a strap on thier chin to measure the elctrical impulses for the very same reason.

In the book he postulates that doing so, the actual movement can be reduced, and in time, you can speak quicker with this method than you can when actually vocalizing.

Re:Quick

[koreaman]

Ha! Too bad you didn't kill her when you had the chance.

Re:Subconscious speech?

[Threni]

It's nothing to do with the subconcious. It's just reading people's muscles instead of their lips. "Mind readers" (such as Derren Brown), "clairvoyants" and other such con artists use this technique, amongst others.

Re:Huh?

[piper-noiter]

This would have interesting military applications. Unit communication... but then again it would break radio silence.

Re:Quick

[Mahou]

hahaha +1, insightful. i love slashdot so much