每日英语听力

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石墨烯——改变世界的神奇材料

Giving new voices

How wonderful would it be if new technology could help the physically challenged?

A smart wearable device that enables people with speaking disabilities to communicate normally is giving hope to those without a voice.

Tao Luqi, a research fellow at Chongqing University, used a material called graphene to produce an artificial throat with a tiny sensor that allows people with speech impairments to speak normally, according to a paper published in Nature Communications in 2017.

Tao has continued his work on the device for the last four years.

Although it's a tiny mechanical sensor, it can work wonders.

The device can detect weak vibrations and can produce sounds across a wide spectrum, from 100Hz to 40kHz, China Daily reported.

Humans can detect sounds in a frequency range from about 20Hz to 20kHz.

"Although the speaking impaired people can't speak, their throats can vibrate," Tao told The Paper.

"If I put a device made of graphene into the throat of a person, it can detect the vibrations and make sounds using electrical signals."

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