Magnetic components enable all kinds of innovation! Last month, bioengineers at UCLA developed a device that shows promising potential to give those without a voice the ability to speak. The implement attaches externally to the necks of people who are unable to speak due to various voice disorders, pathological conditions, or surgeries. With the help of machine-learning, the device can detect and translate specific muscle movements in the larynx into their corresponding, audible speech sounds. And it gets them right nearly 95% of the time!
The device relies on the magnetoelastic effect, whereby magnetic nano particles embedded into flexible materials change their properties as the materials are stretched. These changes are captured as variations that correlate to specific sounds.
Learn more (and give a shout out to magnets!), here: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/speaking-without-vocal-cords-ucla-engineering-wearable-tech