New Brain Implant Translates Thoughts Into Speech
do something on the fly: to do something quickly and without planning, while something else is already happening
Ann Johnson lost her ability to speak after having a stroke 18 years ago. Now, she can talk again with the help of a special brain implant and artificial intelligence.
The small implant reads her brain waves and turns them into words. This is not the first device of its kind, but the new system uses AI to make speech much faster than before.
Earlier systems took eight seconds or more to translate thought into speech. They waited until the full sentence was finished before they began processing. The new device works much faster. It begins processing small pieces of brain activity as soon as they happen. Scientist Gopala Anumanchipalli said, “It’s processing it on the fly.”
The system can produce between 47 and 90 words per minute, compared to the average person, who can produce 160 words per minute. While it is not perfect, it is a big step forward for people who cannot speak.
Sample sentences
We changed the team’s strategy on the fly after losing the first half of the game.
The teacher’s computer stopped working, so he changed the lesson plan on the fly.
My boss changed the meeting topic at the last minute, so I had to come up with ideas on the fly.
Origin
The expression “on the fly” first came from sports. It was used in games like baseball and football to describe actions happening while the ball was in motion. Later, it was also used to describe doing tasks while a plane was flying in the air. Today, people use it to mean doing something quickly, without planning.