The Nara Institute of Science and Technology presented a “NAM (Non-Audible Murmur) microphone” at the Innovation Japan 2009 show.

A NAM microphone is a device that can detect whispers and ultra quiet audio such as unvoiced speech.

“This technology is focused on murmurs inside the mouth that can’t be heard by the ears, or in other words, the type of quiet murmuring that people do with their mouths when they visit a shrine. This technology can pick up those quiet murmurs, input the data into computer, and then use the data as telephone audio.”

“The device is worn like this. There is also an even smaller device that is attached below the ear. From here, body tissue vibrations are picked up by this sensor and can then be sent wirelessly to a computer or cell phone.”

With the use of this technology, users can talk on a cell phone without actually speaking out loud in places where it is difficult to talk such as in a train.

“What we would like to do is use this technology in place of a keyboard to input information into a computer. We already have voice recognition technology, but with that technology every time you say something, everyone around you knows what you’re inputting, and you also become a nuisance to those who can hear you. This technology eliminates those issues and could be used when you want to input your ideas without letting others around you actually hear those ideas.” This technology can also be used with wearable computers, which are gaining attention as a next-generation computer. It’s a hassle to use a keyboard or voice recognition software when running around town, but with a NAM microphone, the user can operate a computer by merely murmuring ideas inside his or her mouth.”

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