How did Stephen Hawking talk? Hawking previously used his finger to control a computer and voice synthesizer. But once he lost use of his hands, he started depending on twitching a cheek muscle to communicate. ... Whenever the cursor reached a word or phrase he wished to use, Hawking twitched his cheek muscle to select it.

How come Stephen Hawking couldnt talk?

It results in muscle twitching and a gradual deterioration of muscles that leads to difficulty swallowing, speaking and eventually breathing. Therefore, Hawking used a number of gadgets to give lectures and communicate with people, since he no longer had the ability to speak as most people do.

Why does Stephen Hawking's computer talk?

At 22, Hawking contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also referred to as motor neurosis. It is a degenerative disease that leads to the death of neutrons in a person's brain. ... Hawking used a speech-generating device developed by Intel that helps with speech/writing for people who have trouble communicating.