Australian scientists have unveiled DeWaves, a technology that translates human thoughts into understandable text. The research was published on a preprint server and presented at the NeurIPS 2023 conference.
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have made breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence and neuroscience. Their development, called DeWaves, is capable of translating thoughts into text using non-invasive technology that only requires a device that fits snugly on the body.
Computer scientist Chin-Ten Lin from UTS said their research is the first successful attempt to translate raw EEG waves directly into understandable language. The move promises to make communication easier for people with disabilities, such as survivors of stroke or spinal cord injury.
DeWaves works based on EEG, records brain waves via a special device worn on the head and then converts them into text. The researchers have already achieved a translation accuracy of more than 40%, which is a 3% improvement over previous methods.
A key difference between DeWaves and other technologies is their non-invasiveness. While invasive methods require surgery or expensive equipment, DeWaves uses simple tools to read brain waves.
Despite the success, the research team aims to increase accuracy to 90%, comparable to conventional translation or speech recognition software.
DeWaves is an important step in the field of assistive technology and artificial intelligence, enabling the development of more accessible and intuitive methods for human-machine interaction.