Communication Technology Research

Emerging technologies, wearable eye trackers, and brain-computer interfaces for ALS communication.

Communication Technology

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)

Research access and everyday availability

These systems are investigational for restoring everyday communication. Trial participation depends on eligibility and study location. Research sales or clearance of an electrode component do not mean approval of a complete home communication system. There is no confirmed general-release date.

BCI profiles reviewed 11 September 2026.

Synchron Stentrode

Synchron
Investigational BCI

Implanted through a blood vessel via the jugular vein.

  • The US COMMAND feasibility study completed 12-month safety follow-up in six participants, according to Synchron.
  • Current studies explore digital-device control in people with severe paralysis. The sponsor describes trials in the US and Australia.
  • Synchron states that the system is not approved for commercial use in any geography.

The cited sponsor pages do not list an India study site.

Current studies Sponsor & regulatory status

Neuralink Telepathy & VOICE

Neuralink
Investigational clinical trials

A surgically implanted N1 device records brain signals.

  • Neuralink reported 21 participants on 28 January 2026. This is a dated sponsor report, not a live total.
  • Its trial programme covers computer control and speech restoration. The VOICE study (NCT07224256) investigates output of intended speech as text or audio.
  • VOICE lists UT Southwestern in the US. A worldwide registry does not guarantee trial enrolment or local access.

Check the sponsor’s study-site list; registry access is not an India treatment service.

January 2026 update VOICE study Current trial programme

BrainGate

BrainGate Consortium
Academic clinical research

Surgically implanted microelectrode arrays.

  • Research includes computer access and decoding intended speech in people with paralysis.
  • The consortium’s 2026 publications include intended-speech decoding in a participant with longstanding anarthria and locked-in syndrome.
  • Results in individual research participants do not predict everyone’s outcome. Participation requires specialist assessment and repeated research sessions.

BrainGate’s participation page lists US sites and a nearby-residence requirement.

2026 speech research Trial eligibility

Paradromics Connexus

Paradromics
Connect-One feasibility study

Surgically implanted brain interface and chest implant.

  • The sponsor announced the first Connect-One implantation on 17 June 2026 and an expanded personal-computing study pathway on 26 August 2026.
  • The study evaluates intended-speech decoding and computer access in people with severe motor impairment.
  • US study participation requires eligibility screening, residence near a study centre and a substantial long-term commitment.

Connect-One is currently listed as a US-only study.

2026 study updates Study & eligibility

Precision Layer 7

Precision Neuroscience
Component clearance; BCI investigational

A thin electrode array placed on the brain surface.

  • The April 2025 announcement describes FDA clearance for recording, monitoring and stimulation for implantation of up to 30 days.
  • This clearance concerns the cortical electrode array. Precision identifies its complete BCI as investigational and unavailable for US sale.
  • A cleared component does not establish approval or effectiveness for long-term home ALS communication.

No home communication product or India access was verified.

Scope of FDA clearance Current BCI status

Cognixion ONE Axon-R

Cognixion
Research-use platform

A non-invasive EEG and augmented-reality headset.

  • Combines brain-signal sensing with a visual interface for communication research.
  • Cognixion states that Axon-R is for research use only and is not approved or cleared by the FDA or Health Canada.
  • Research or educational purchase is different from an approved communication aid for home care.

Confirm study eligibility with the research team; an India home-care service was not verified.

Current product & status Research distribution

Academic Research & Future Technologies

Google/Nature Communications SpeakFaster (November 2024)

LLM-powered text entry achieving 29-60% typing speed improvement over baseline predictive keyboards. Works with existing Tobii hardware as software enhancement. Collaboration between Google Research and Team Gleason Foundation.

IEEE Wearable Gaze-Based Communication Study (2024)

See-through head-mounted display with integrated gaze estimation enabling communication without temporal, spatial, or physical restrictions—representing the type of system that could eventually replace screen-based trackers.

Northwestern University/Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Ongoing research on eye gaze characterization for assistive device control, including addressing the "Midas touch problem" (differentiating gaze for perception vs. interface operation). Study included ALS participants.

UC Berkeley/UCSF — Streaming Brain-to-Voice Neuroprosthesis (March 2025)

Converts neural signals to audible speech in near-real-time (80ms latency, first sound within 1 second). Uses deep learning RNN transducer models. Personalizes output to participant's pre-injury voice. Listeners understood ~60% of synthesized words. Published in Nature Neuroscience.

BISC Chip — Next-Gen BCI (Columbia/Stanford/UPenn, Dec 2025)

Single silicon chip with 65,536 electrodes, 1,024 recording channels, and 16,384 stimulation channels. Only 50µm thin — occupies <1/1000th the volume of standard implants. Wireless data at 100 Mbps (100x faster than any other wireless BCI). Published in Nature Electronics. Developed under DARPA's Neural Engineering System Design program.

HiFi-GAN for ALS Voice Generation (Late 2024)

Published in Scientific Reports (Nature), this study demonstrated that the HiFi-GAN model can generate high-quality synthetic voices closely resembling ALS patients' natural voices, preserving vocal identity while improving speech intelligibility. Provides a research foundation for AI-powered voice preservation specifically validated with ALS speech patterns.

Cognixion + Apple Vision Pro BCI Study (2025)

Clinical study using Apple Vision Pro with Cognixion's non-invasive BCI to explore how people with ALS, spinal cord injuries, or stroke can communicate using brain signals, eye tracking, and AI combined. Tests whether consumer AR hardware can serve as a medical-grade communication platform.

Emerging Technologies (12-36 Month Horizon)

Wearable Eye-Tracking Glasses

Research-stage wearable eye-tracking glasses. These differ from proven screen-mounted devices and require technical expertise.

Wearable Glasses vs. Screen-Mounted Devices

Screen-mounted devices (like Tobii 4C, 5, PCEye) are proven, affordable, and recommended for most ALS patients. Wearable glasses below are emerging solutions requiring technical expertise and higher cost.

Pupil Labs Neon

Only viable consumer-ready wearable glasses solution for ALS mouse control

Price
from €5,900 (~$6,400)
~₹9-10 Lakh in India (est. incl. import)
Sampling Rate
200 Hz
Accuracy
1.3° with offset
Calibration
NONE REQUIRED
Critical for ALS
✓ Why This Matters for ALS

No calibration required—traditional eye trackers require following targets, which is impossible for advanced ALS patients. Uses AprilTag markers around monitor for screen mapping.

Requirements: Windows PC, Python 3.8+, technical expertise • India: Via pupil-labs.com/resellers

Website GitHub SDK

Other Wearable Options

AdHawk MindLink

~$10,000 • Calibration Required
Not suitable for ALS

Requires calibration routines—not usable by advanced ALS patients. Note: Google is reportedly acquiring AdHawk (March 2025), which may affect future availability.

EyeControl (Israel)

Screen-Free Communication
Emerging

Standalone wearable device with bone conduction audio feedback. Does NOT provide Windows mouse control — designed for basic screen-free communication only.

Voice Preservation & Synthesis

Tools for preserving or recreating a patient's voice. Voice banking should be done as early as possible in disease progression, but newer AI tools can work with legacy recordings.

ElevenLabs Impact Program

Free for ALS/MND patients
Free — Available Now

AI voice cloning that can recreate a hyper-realistic voice from as little as 1 minute of legacy audio — old voicemails, home videos, even noisy recordings. Partnership with AudioShake (March 2025) isolates voice from background noise. Partnered with Lenovo (late 2025) for photorealistic AI avatars with restored voice for video calls. Access through Bridging Voice nonprofit.

Apple Personal Voice (iOS 17 now; iOS 19 upcoming)

Built into iPhone/iPad — Free
Free — Available Now (iOS 17+)

On-device voice banking available today on iOS 17/18 (150 phrases, ~15 minutes). iOS 19 (upcoming) will reduce setup to under a minute. All processing happens on-device — voice data stays private. Available on all modern iPhones/iPads. The easiest voice banking option available with no extra hardware needed.

ModelTalker Gen3

Nemours Speech Research Lab — Free
Free — Available Now

Third-generation AI voices using generative technology. New inventory of ~300 sentences designed for expressive speech. Now installable as system voices on Android devices including phones, tablets, and Android-based AAC devices. Conducting an IRB-approved study on ALS-related dysarthria.

Bridging Voice Nonprofit

Free remote support & training
Free — Available Now

Nonprofit providing free remote support, training, and assistive technology solutions for ALS patients. Partners with ElevenLabs and AudioShake for voice preservation. AAC specialists help patients set up communication systems. Presented at ASHA Convention 2025.

AAC Software & AI Communication Tools

Modern AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) apps and devices with AI integration for faster, more natural communication.

Tobii Dynavox — TD Phone & TD Navio

2025 — With I-Series hardware
Commercial — Available Now

New TD Phone app enables eye-controlled phone calls and text messages on iPhone/Android through the I-Series device. Xbox gaming integration and eye-controlled drawing also added. TD Navio launched as a portable iPadOS-based AAC device with 5-year warranty.

Vocable AAC + ChatGPT

Free, Open Source (MIT license)
Free — Available Now

Free AAC app (iOS/Android) with ChatGPT integration for conversational AI. Users communicate via head movements and text-to-speech. AI retains conversational context and enhances predictive patterns. Also optimized for Apple Vision Pro. Open source on GitHub.

Spoken AAC + ElevenLabs Voice Clones

Sept 2025 — Freemium (iOS/Android)
Commercial — Available Now

Predictive AI AAC app that learns from usage patterns. September 2025 update added ElevenLabs integration — create voice clones and prompt-generated voices directly within the app. Supports iOS eye tracking for full hands-free control.

Voiceitt — Non-Standard Speech Recognition

2025 — Paid subscription
Commercial — Available Now

AI speech recognition trained on individual users' non-standard speech patterns (dysarthria). Voiceitt 2 translates non-standard speech into standard speech in real time, integrates with ChatGPT, and can be embedded in smart speakers/wearables. Ideal for early-to-mid stage ALS.

Platform Accessibility Updates (2025)

Major OS-level accessibility features now available on consumer devices at no additional cost.

Apple iOS 26 — Built-in Eye Tracking, Head Tracking & BCI Protocol

iOS Eye Tracking now supports switch or dwell selection with improved keyboard typing (new dwell timer + QuickPath). New Head Tracking feature added. Most importantly: a new Switch Control protocol for BCIs was added, allowing brain-computer interface devices to control Apple devices without physical movement. Available on all supported iPhones and iPads — free.

India-Specific Developments

Assistive technology initiatives and market developments within India.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham — UNESCO Chair on Assistive Technologies

September 2025
Academic Initiative

India's first UNESCO Chair on Assistive Technologies in Education, launched in partnership with UNESCO. Showcased assistive technologies at EMPOWER 2025 conference at IIT Delhi. Signals growing institutional support for AT research and development in India.

India Assistive Device Market Growth

Market projection through 2030
Growing Market

India's disabled & elderly assistive device market valued at USD 716.2 million in 2023, projected to reach USD 2,765.8 million by 2030 (CAGR 20%). Government supported 21 new assistive technology projects in 2025 including solutions for speech disorders.

Frontiers Study — AT Needs Survey Across India

2025 — Research Protocol
Research

Large-scale epidemiological survey protocol designed to assess assistive technology needs, unmet demands, and barriers across all six regions of India, involving 180,000 individuals. Published in Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences.

⚠️ Experimental & Try-Out Solutions

Research-grade and experimental technologies for tech-savvy users. These require technical expertise and should only be used with a proven backup system.

⚠️ WARNING: Experimental Technologies

These are experimental technologies NOT proven for reliable ALS communication. Only try with backup system in place. Not recommended as primary communication device.

Pupil Labs Neon + Custom Python Scripts

EXPERIMENTAL - For tech-savvy users only
MEDIUM - Unproven for ALS, requires backup system
What This Is:

Using Pupil Labs Neon with custom Python scripts for advanced mouse control and multi-screen setups

Who Can Try:

Users with programming background or CS student helper, early-stage ALS patients who can assist with setup

Cost:

~₹9-10 lakhs (Neon hardware, est.) + ₹5,000-15,000 (setup assistance)

💡 Recommendation

Only as supplement to proven system, not as primary device

Webcam + Head Tracking (Enable Viacam / Camera Mouse)

EXPERIMENTAL - Free but requires head movement
LOW - Free to try, but limited applicability
What This Is:

Free software that tracks head movement via webcam to control mouse. NOT eye tracking.

Who Can Try:

Early-stage patients with some head control remaining

Cost:

FREE (uses existing webcam)

⚠️ Critical Limitation

Requires head movement - NOT suitable for advanced ALS with zero head control

💡 Recommendation

Try early in disease progression, have eye-tracking backup ready

DIY AprilTag + Smartphone Eye Tracking

EXPERIMENTAL - Research projects only
HIGH - May waste time and money
What This Is:

Academic research projects using smartphone cameras and AprilTag markers for low-cost eye tracking

Who Can Try:

University researchers, CS students, hobbyists

Cost:

~₹5,000-15,000 (smartphone + markers + 3D printed mounts)

⚠️ Critical Limitation

Unreliable, unproven, no support, requires extensive troubleshooting

💡 Recommendation

NOT RECOMMENDED for patients needing reliable communication. Research interest only.

Important: Screen-Mounted Devices Remain the Proven Standard

For most ALS patients, screen-mounted devices like Tobii 4C/5 + OptiKey remain significantly easier to deploy, more affordable (₹25,000-40,000 vs. ₹9+ Lakh), and proven in the ALS community. Wearable glasses and BCI solutions require technical expertise and are primarily for specific use cases or future consideration.