Stroke survivors who have lost the ability to speak clearly could have their voices restored thanks to a revolutionary new wearable device developed by British scientists. The breakthrough technology, which resembles a soft choker worn around the neck, uses artificial intelligence to decode a patient's attempted speech and translate it into clear words and sentences.
How Revoice Translates Thought into Speech
Created by experts at the University of Cambridge, the device named Revoice represents a significant leap forward from existing, more invasive aids. It works by picking up minute vibrations from throat muscles and monitoring heart rate. These subtle body signals are then rapidly processed by integrated AI, which predicts and delivers the full sentence a patient is trying to form.
Patients can silently mouth words, and the sophisticated system interprets the intended speech. Remarkably, a secondary AI function also analyses the user's emotional state and contextual cues like the time of day to aid communication. The device is designed to be washable, flexible, and comfortable for all-day wear, enabling use beyond clinical settings.
Promising Trial Results and Future Applications
In an initial, small-scale trial involving five patients with dysarthria—a common speech impairment following a stroke—the technology demonstrated high accuracy. The device correctly interpreted all but 4.2% of words and 2.9% of sentences. Participants reported a substantial 55% increase in communication satisfaction.
Professor Luigi Occhipinti from Cambridge's Department of Engineering, who led the research, explained the device's dual purpose. "It helps both the patient and the therapist to establish a more effective therapy for recovering speech," he stated. "When they are asked to speak freely, they can struggle and sometimes they can feel frustrated. We have created a device which... helps them communicate more effectively."
The research team believes Revoice has potential far beyond stroke rehabilitation. They hope it could also assist individuals with other neurological conditions that affect speech, such as Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease (MND).
A Step Change in Speech Rehabilitation Technology
Current assistive technologies often rely on slow, letter-by-letter input systems, eye-tracking hardware, or require invasive brain implants. In contrast, Revoice offers a non-invasive, naturalistic alternative. It can be controlled by the user nodding twice to command the device to expand words into full sentences.
Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, welcomed the early-stage research. "There are around 1.3 million stroke survivors living in the UK, and many experience communication difficulties... This can have a major impact on confidence, relationships and independence," she said. She cautioned that the findings are preliminary but added that "carefully tested innovations may help to complement existing support and enable more people to regain their independence."
The study, supported by the British Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), was published in the journal Nature Communications on Monday 19 January 2026. Further research is now planned to build on these promising initial results, moving closer to the goal of restoring fundamental communication and dignity to those affected.
