Project Grant R56DC023963

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Texas at Austin $160,879 on September 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop and validate a wearable silent speech interface for laryngectomees.

The project delivers two intraoral wireless tongue-tracking devices—MAGTRACK, a glasses-like wearable with a wired tongue sensor, and WITT, a wireless and intraoral device—both integrated with a real-time articulation-to-speech synthesizer that outputs natural-sounding speech preserving the speaker's voice characteristics. The research follows a three-phase validation framework: technical verification of the WITT device; analytical validation of the articulation-to-speech synthesis algorithms; and clinical validation through patient home trials. MAGTRACK has completed technical verification with performance comparable to commercial alternatives. The articulation-to-speech synthesis demonstrates greater than 90% word accuracy in preliminary testing.

The recipient is the University of Texas at Austin, a public research university within the University of Texas System. Work is performed in Austin, Texas with a period of performance ending August 31, 2027. The assistance type is a project grant supporting biomedical research on communication disorders through direct cost funding for salaries, equipment, supplies, and travel.