Subvocal recognition (SVR) is the process of taking

subvocalization Subvocalization, or silent speech, is the internal speech typically made when reading; it provides the sound of the word as it is read.Carver, R. P. (1990) Reading Rate: A Comprehensive Review of Research and Theory (1990)Cleland, D. L., Davies, ...

and converting the detected results to a digital output, aural or text-based.

Concept

A set of

electrodes An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...

are attached to the skin of the

throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the pharynx and larynx. An important section of it is the epiglottis, separating the esophagus from the trachea (windpipe ...

and, without opening the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

or uttering a sound, the words are recognized by a computer. Subvocal speech recognition deals with

electromyogram Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyog ...

s that are different for each speaker. Therefore, consistency can be thrown off just by the positioning of an

electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...

. To improve accuracy, researchers in this field are relying on statistical models that get better at

pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...

-matching the more times a subject "speaks" through the electrodes, but even then there are lapses. At

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, researchers found that the same "speaker" with accuracy rates of 94% one day can see that rate drop to 48% a day later; between two different speakers it drops even more. Relevant applications for this technology where audible speech is impossible: for

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

, underwater

Navy Seals The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...

, fighter pilots and emergency workers charging into loud, harsh environments. At

Worcester Polytechnic Institute '' , mottoeng = "Theory and Practice" , established = , former_name = Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science (1865-1886) , type = Private research university , endowme ...

in Massachusetts, research is underway to use subvocal information as a control source for computer music instruments.

Research and patents

With a grant from the U.S. Army, research into

synthetic telepathy Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...

using subvocalization is taking place at the University of California, Irvine under lead scientist Mike D'Zmura.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

Ames Research Laboratory The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

in Mountain View, California, under the supervision of Charles Jorgensen is conducting subvocalization research. The Brain Computer Interface R&D program at

Wadsworth Center The Wadsworth Center, located in Albany, New York, is the research-intensive public health laboratory of the New York State Department of Health. History The Wadsworth Center, originally the New York State's Antitoxin Laboratory, was established i ...

under the

New York State Department of Health The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is the department of the New York state government responsible for public health. It is headed by Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, who was appointed by Governor Hochul and confirmed by the S ...

has confirmed the existing ability to decipher consonants and vowels from imagined speech, which allows for brain-based communication using imagined speech. US Patents on silent communication technologies include: US Patent 6587729 "Apparatus for audibly communicating speech using the radio frequency hearing effect", US Patent 5159703 "Silent subliminal presentation system", US Patent 6011991 "Communication system and method including brain wave analysis and/or use of brain activity", US Patent 3951134 "Apparatus and method for remotely monitoring and altering brain waves".

In fiction

* In ''

Speaker for the Dead ''Speaker for the Dead'' is a 1986 science fiction novel by American writer Orson Scott Card, an indirect sequel to the 1985 novel '' Ender's Game''. The book takes place around the year 5270, some 3,000 years after the events in ''Ender's Game ...

'' and subsequent novels, author

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

described an ear implant, called a "jewel", that allows subvocal communication with computer systems. * Author

Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...

made use of subvocal recognition to allow silent commands to the cybernetic 'companion implants' used by the advanced

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...

characters in his ''

Neanderthal Parallax The Neanderthal Parallax is a trilogy of novels written by Robert J. Sawyer and published by Tor Books, Tor. It depicts the effects of the opening of a connection between two versions of Earth in different Parallel universe (fiction), parallel un ...

'' trilogy of science fiction novels. * In ''

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

'',

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has won the Hugo,Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom ''Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom'' is a 2003 science fiction book, the first novel by Canadian author and digital-rights activist Cory Doctorow. Concurrent with its publication by Tor Books, Doctorow released the entire text of the novel unde ...

'',

Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born July 17, 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of ...

has cellphone technology become silent through a cochlear implant and miking the throat to pick up subvocalization. *

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

's ''Sprawl'' Trilogy frequently uses sub-vocalization systems in various devices. * In

Kage Baker Kage Baker (June 10, 1952 – January 31, 2010Obituary: Kage Baker
" SF Site, January ...

's ''Company'' novels, the immortal

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

s communicate subvocally. * In the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

-winning ''

Hyperion Cantos The ''Hyperion Cantos'' is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. The title was originally used for the collection of the first pair of books in the series, '' Hyperion'' and '' The Fall of Hyperion'', and later came to refer to the ...

'' by

Dan Simmons Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes wi ...

, the characters often use subvocalization to communicate. * In the ''Culture'' novels by Iain M. Banks, more highly advanced species often communicate subvocally through their technology. * In '' Deus Ex: Human Revolution'' (2011), the protagonist is augmented with a subvocalization implant for sending covert communications (and a corresponding

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech und ...

for receiving covert communications). * In the tabletop RPG and video game series ''

Shadowrun ''Shadowrun'' is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspir ...

'', player characters can communicate via subvocal microphones in some instances. * In ''

Paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

'', all citizens can speak to the computer via their "cerebral cortech" implants. *Alistair Reynolds ''Revelation Space'' trilogy frequently uses sub-vocalization systems in various devices.

References

External links

NASA Ames Center
Computational linguistics Emerging technologies Fictional technology Human communication Memory Reading (process) Speech recognition Vocal skills

Concept

Research and patents

In fiction

See also

References

Further reading

External links