Intel Exploring Ways to Help Stephen Hawking Speak

A senior Intel Corp. executive says the American chipmaker is studying ways to help renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking overcome his slowing speech.

Hawking has Lou Gehrig's disease, an incurable degenerative neurone disorder that has left him almost completely paralyzed.

For several years the scientist has communicated using a tiny infrared sensor that translates small movements in his right cheek into words spoken by a voice synthesizer.

But Hawking, 70, is losing the use of the nerves in his face and his rate of speech has slowed to one word per minute.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Intel executive Justin Rattner said his company had a research team in Britain laying the groundwork for a potential new speech system.