Paralysed woman speaks in own voice through digital avatar in world first

This is the moment a paralysed woman speaks again after her brain singles are intercepted and turned into a talking avatar complete with facial expressions in a world first.

Ann, 48, suffered a brainstem stroke when she was 30, leaving her paralysed.

Scientists implanted a paper-thin rectangle of 253 electrodes onto the surface of her brain covering the area critical for speech.

These intercept 'talking' brain signals and are fed into a bank of computers via a cable, plugged into a port fixed to her head. The computers can decode the signals into text at a rate of 80 words a minute.