The famed British scientist, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, lost his ability to speak 30 years ago. He currently communicates using a number of different machines, including special glasses that pick up twitches in his cheek, but this method is slow and difficult.
The iBrain, a matchbox-size computer attached to a black headband, picks up electrical brain signals and, in time, should be able to turn these thoughts into recognizable words or letters, according to The New York Times' David Ewing Duncan.
The portable brain scanner will allow researchers to "pretty much hack [Hawking's] brain, Dr. Phillip Low, the contraption's inventor, told The Telegraph.
Researchers plan to unveil the breakthrough technology at a conference in Cambridge next month and may demonstrate the device on Hawking.