Araya Inc. (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryota Kanai; hereinafter “Araya”) and Fluent BCI Holdings Pty Ltd (Location: Melbourne, Australia; CEO: Tim Mahoney; hereinafter “Fluent BCI”) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the joint development of a “Speech Decoding BCI (Brain-Computer Interface)” that interprets speech intentions from brainwaves.

■ Background: Aiming to Restore the “Ability to Speak”

Currently, it is estimated that millions of people worldwide experience difficulty with vocalization and speech due to progressive neurological disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The “Speech Decoding BCI” is highly anticipated as an innovative technology capable of restoring or replacing lost communication abilities. It uses AI to decode the speech intentions (brain activity) that occur when a person attempts to “speak” in their mind, converting those signals into text or synthesized speech.

■ Purpose of the Partnership: Development of a Global BCI Model for Japanese and English

To date, Araya has been a driving force in the research and development of a speech-decoding BCI model for Japanese speakers by acquiring large-scale EEG data using non-invasive approaches (without surgical procedures).

By partnering with Australia-based Fluent BCI, which possesses advanced BCI technology and a proprietary clinical data foundation, the two companies will integrate their respective technologies and expertise. Through this collaboration, they aim to advance the joint development of a highly accurate speech decoding BCI model that functions effectively not only for the existing Japanese language but also in the English-speaking world, thereby contributing to the improvement of Quality of Life for a greater number of patients across borders.

Company Information:

[Fluent BCI – Company Profile]

• Company Name: Fluent BCI Holdings Pty Ltd
• Representative: Tim Mahoney, CEO
• Established: 2014
• Location: Melbourne, Australia
• URL: https://fluentbci.com/
• Business: Development of next-generation neural interface and AI technologies, including speech decoding.

[Araya – Company Profile]

• Company Name: Araya Inc.
• Representative: Ryota Kanai, CEO
• Established: December 2013
• Location: Sampo Sakuma Bldg. 6F, 1-11 Kanda Sakuma-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
• URL: https://www.araya.org/
• Business: Deep Learning, Edge AI, Autonomous AI, Neurotech, Contract Research, etc.
• Contact: https://www.araya.org/contact/