Silent-speech tracker
What exists, what you can reserve and what you can actually buy. Each entry shows its stage, where it is available and the evidence behind it.
As of the date checked, no finished silent-speech product (one that decodes fully silent, open-vocabulary speech) is shipping to consumers. Entries marked Preorder can be reserved. Entries marked Research or Clinical trial cannot be bought. Read our stage definitions.
| Name | Stage | How it senses speech | Where you can get it | Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subvocal glassesThe Subvocal Company, United States | PreorderEst. Q1 2027, subject to FCC approval; counter showed 733 of 750 reserved on Nov 9 | Radio-frequency (RF) sensing in glasses frames; cloud decoding via companion app | US delivery addresses only; no date for Europe$199 refundable deposit, $499 early bird; founder describes about $20/mo for unlimited use | Company claims onlyChecked November 9, 2026 | Preorder termsOur report |
| Subtle VoicebudsSubtle, United States | PreorderWhisper-level input; still uses sound | Multi-microphone earbuds with on-device voice isolation | Not stated on maker site; iPhone or Mac required$199 reported at launch (TechCrunch, Jan 2026); not listed on maker site | Company claims onlyChecked November 3, 2026 | SubtleTechCrunch |
| AlterEgoAlterEgo (MIT Media Lab spin-out), United States | WaitlistPre-production prototype, sign-up only | Wearable reading facial neuromuscular signals; bone-conduction audio | Sign-up form onlyNot announced | Company claims onlyChecked November 3, 2026 | AlterEgoAxios |
| Q.aiAcquired by Apple, Israel | AcquiredConfirmed by Apple, Jan 29, 2026 | Imaging and machine learning; patent application on silent speech from facial skin micromovements | No product or feature announcedDeal terms undisclosed; Reuters reported about $1.6B, citing a source | Press reportsChecked November 9, 2026 | Reuters via YahooPatent applicationOur report |
| Revoice wearable throatUniversity of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Research5 stroke patients, 10 controls | Soft choker with textile strain sensors on throat muscles | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | Cambridge |
| Throat patch for voiceless speechUCLA, United States | Research8 healthy adults | Soft magnetoelastic sensor on the larynx | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | UCLA via EurekAlert |
| EchoSpeechCornell University SciFi Lab, United States | ResearchUp to 31 silent commands | Acoustic sonar from tiny speakers and microphones on glasses | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | Cornell via Tech Xplore |
| AlterEgo research headsetMIT Media Lab, United States | Research2018, about 20-word vocabulary | Surface electrodes on jaw and face | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | MIT News |
| SottoVoceUniversity of Tokyo and Sony CSL, Japan | ResearchPresented at ACM CHI 2019 | Ultrasound imaging under the jaw | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | arXiv |
| Barometer earbudDonghua University, China | Research25 participants | In-ear pressure sensing during silent articulation | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | Donghua University |
| Inner-speech brain interfaceStanford University and BrainGate partners, United States | Clinical trial4 participants, published in Cell, Aug 2025 | Implanted microelectrode arrays in motor cortex | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | Stanford Medicine |
| Instant voice neuroprosthesisUC Davis (BrainGate2), United States | Clinical trial1 participant with ALS | Implanted microelectrode arrays | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | UC Davis Health |
| Streaming brain-to-voiceUCSF and UC Berkeley, United States | Clinical trialDecodes silently attempted speech | Electrocorticography (ECoG) implant | Not for sale | Peer-reviewedChecked November 3, 2026 | Berkeley Engineering |
| Connexus (Connect-One study)Paradromics, United States | Clinical trialFDA approved the study, Nov 2025; no results yet | Implanted intracortical interface | Not for sale | Regulator approvalChecked November 3, 2026 | Paradromics |
Company performance figures are listed as claims until independently tested. Spotted an error or a missing product? Tell the newsroom.