A speech locked loop for cochlear implants and speech prostheses

Abstract

We have previously described a feedback loop that combines an auditory processor with a low-power analog integrated-circuit vocal tract to create a speech-locked-loop. Here, we describe how the speech-locked loop can help improve speech recognition in noise by re-synthesizing clean speech from noisy speech. Therefore, it is potentially useful for improving speech recognition in noise, important in cochlear implant and other applications. We show that it can also produce good-quality speech with articulatory parameters, which are inherently low-dimensional and robust. Therefore, it is potentially also useful in brain-machine-based speech prostheses.