AI tool helps paralysed patients communicate through blinks and focus; hospital to trial device

SINGAPORE - Patients with severe movement and speech impairment will soon be able to communicate more quickly with their caregivers through the use of an artificial intelligence neural-detection device created by a local start-up.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is set to trial the neural unit which allows patients who have trouble speaking, writing, typing, pointing or maintaining eye contact to communicate through blinking and focusing their thoughts.

The device is a type of brain-computer interface, which is typically used by patients who want to communicate but cannot speak clearly or use their hands to write or type.

Eye blinks and brainwaves are detected by electrodes placed behind patients’ ears and above one eye. This input is then used to navigate and select options from a menu of tasks the patients would like to do independently, or request assistance from caregivers.

Tasks on the webpage can be personalised to include actions like asking for food, watching television or turning on the lights. It can also connect to external apps such as YouTube and WhatsApp – letting users watch videos and send simple pre-written messages.

Developed by local start-up Neural Drive, which was co-founded by two graduates and two current students from Singapore Polytechnic, the device aims to be an affordable alternative to communication tools that can cost up to $25,000 each, and fulfils the needs of patients with severe impairments.

The 18-month clinical trial starts in June and will involve some 30 TTSH patients, such as stroke survivors with speech and physical difficulties, individuals with motor neurone disease, and those with cerebral palsy.

“The goal was to create something that is portable and affordable, and feels as seamless as putting on a headset,” said 22-year-old co-founder Khambhati Mohammed Huzefa, who graduated with a diploma in computer engineering in 2023.

Users can shuffle through selections by blinking twice, and make a selection by concentrating on something for a few seconds. It works via a connection to devices such as laptops and tablets.

Each Neural Drive device will be sold to hospitals at $2,500 – allowing the hospital to buy units without specific funding, unlike pricier systems that require more careful budget planning, said TTSH’s senior principal speech therapist Zenne T’ng.

Advanced assistive technology alternatives such as Tobii Dynavox’s eye-gaze systems can cost up to $15,000 each, and are not always suitable for patients who struggle with sustaining visual attention and head stability.

Other options such as intracortical interfaces might require surgically implanting microelectrodes directly into a patient’s brain cortex, such as the chips created by neurotechnology start-up Neuralink, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk.

These systems can detect individual neuron activity with remarkable accuracy – enabling users to control computers and phones. However, they also come with surgical risks and require extensive technical support.

Ms T’ng said: “Our goal is to integrate Neural Drive into standard speech therapy practice across acute care, rehabilitation and home settings.”

The company was founded in early 2025, after the four – Mr Khambhati, Mr Kaushik Manian, Mr Nyan Lin, and Mr Raymond Loong Ng – crossed paths at various hackathons.

The inspiration for Neural Drive came to Mr Khambhati when he was serving as a medic with the Singapore Civil Defence Force during his national service.

“A large number of calls I was on involved stroke patients, and the same communication problem kept popping up,” said Mr Khambhati, who is currently a first-year undergraduate at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

“The patient would be fully aware of everything happening around them, but the families would be standing around and desperate to understand if they were in pain. Doctors in critical care also faced the same barrier.”

Combining the team’s academic background in AI and engineering with Mr Khambhati’s knowledge of neuroscience picked up through online courses, the team developed the palm-sized device which uses an AI model to interpret the user’s intent by analysing brainwaves and eye blinks.

Though the goal is to be reliable and accessible, Neural Drive’s device is not meant to run full diagnostics to fully decipher a user’s brain activity, which expensive alternatives can do with sophisticated hardware, more electrodes, and proprietary clinical software.

“We’re focusing on what matters most to patients at home, which is reliable communication and independence,” said Mr Khambhati.

The start-up has received boosts of funding from SUTD and innovation competitions – such as the Entrepreneurs Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge held in Shenzhen, China. The team won $150,000 after placing first in the Asia-Pacific category.

With this support, the team has been able to conduct two-week home trials with around 60 users to collect feedback.

One of them was Mr Nick Tyi Ki Kyaw’s 67-year-old uncle, who suffered a stroke while at work in Myanmar three years ago. It left him partially paralysed and unable to speak clearly.

“He couldn’t really form proper words, and we relied on his grunts to try to understand what he needed… it was really challenging,” said Mr Tyi Ki Kyaw, whose family helped with caregiving while his uncle sought further treatment in Singapore.

After overcoming some initial challenges in adapting to Neural Drive’s system, the family felt a sense of relief as it removed the mentally exhausting task of trying to interpret his uncle’s needs, he added.

“The device is compact and a lot less expensive compared with other gadgets in the market,” said Mr Tyi Ki Kyaw, now a first-year computer science student at NUS.

Once Neural Drive is approved for use in hospitals, the team has plans to sell a more affordable version of the device directly to users, said Mr Khambhati. He added that talks are ongoing with local organisations to donate a thousand sets to individuals.

“At its core, this device is about restoring dignity, and giving people the ability to connect with the people they love,” said Mr Khambhati.

“The technology to do this already exists. It just hasn’t been made accessible, and that’s what we’re here to fix.”