By Iddo, Section Interviews Posted on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 11:45:23 PM PST
In two years time a technology that will enable users to speak without uttering a sound might become commercially available. The ability to communicate silently could assist us in every day situations such as a phone conversation on a crowded subway or simply anytime we'd prefer that others wouldn't hear us. It could aid security and special operations forces, people with vocal cord problems, and might even find a place in gaming.
Seven years ago a modest NASA research program aimed at developing the ability to capture, analyze, and recreate subvocal speech was initiated as part of NASA's Extension of the Human Senses program. The subvocal speech-recognition research, headed by Dr. Charles Jorgensen, was initially aimed at developing silent communication and speech augmentation in extremely noisy environments such as the space station. It soon became clear that the technology could have many other applications as well; it could enable bodyguards, security personal, or Special Forces during highly covert operations to communicate without detection, and tank commanders to give orders even during noisy fighting conditions.
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