First Digital Adult Reading Test Available on RuStore
HSE University's Centre for Language and Brain has developed the first standardised tool for assessing Russian reading skills in adults—the LexiMetr-A test. The test is now available digitally on the RuStore platform. This application allows for a quick and effective diagnosis of reading disorders, including dyslexia, in people aged 18 and older.
Reading skills are essential for a social and professional life. For millions of adults with reading impairments, the lack of a timely diagnosis can mean inaccessibility to quality education, career opportunities, and social support. However, for adults in Russia, there was no reliable tool or standard for objectively measuring reading proficiency or comparing results with normative data. The LexiMetr-A digital test fills this gap, offering professionals and researchers an effective way to assess the speed and accuracy of reading, as well as the level of reading comprehension.
Svetlana Dorofeeva
‘The development of LexiMetr-A was a logical consequence of our efforts to create linguistics-based tests for diagnosing speech and reading disorders in children. Adults with reading impairments also need age-appropriate tools,’ says Svetlana Dorofeeva, one of test developers and researcher at HSE University's Centre for Language and Brain.
The test has two parallel versions, one for initial diagnostics and the other for retesting or for assessing the effectiveness of interventions. The versions are balanced in terms of a number of psycholinguistic parameters, such as the length of words in syllables and in letters, the frequency of words, and the complexity of syntactic structures. Each text comes with a set of reading comprehension questions. After reading and marking errors, the application automatically calculates reading parameters and provides information about which syntactic structures were the most difficult. This level of detail is particularly useful for planning remedial work.
The application is aimed at specialists: speech therapists, neuropsychologists, and neurologists working in clinics, educational and research institutions. It includes age-appropriate cutoff levels for different user groups from 18 to 60+ years old, which ensures high diagnostic accuracy. The app replaces paper protocols, manual error counting, and voice recorders. All stages of the test—from text demonstration to error analysis—take place in a digital interface. The results, including audio recordings and markings, are uploaded in a useful format, making it easier to observe and draw conclusions.
The tool will enable informed decisions for selecting a future approach to working with reading difficulties or supporting adults with dyslexia. For instance, a confirmed dyslexia diagnosis could be taken into account by universities when determining a specific assessment system for students with such difficulties.
The developers emphasise that the test will be useful in both clinical and scientific application. The new tool collects an array of audio data and reading indicators, making it a valuable research tool for cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neuropsychology.
Olga Dragoy
‘Our goal is to make reading diagnostics more accessible and up-to-date. LexiMetr-A is not just a test; it is a practical tool that saves time, provides accurate results, and opens up new possibilities for helping people with dyslexia,’ comments Olga Dragoy, Director of the Centre for Language and Brain, HSE University.
See also:
How to Assess Students’ Knowledge in the Age of AI
A researcher at HSE University has proposed a flowchart to help lecturers decide how to assess students who use artificial intelligence. It shows where the use of AI should be restricted and where it can be incorporated into the learning process. The article has been published in IT Professional.
HSE University Expands Cooperation with Malaysia in Technology Foresight
HSE University researchers will take part in a study of the future of engineering education in Malaysia, while the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) will use the iFORA big-data analysis system to validate the findings of its foresight research. These are the outcomes of a visit by HSE representatives to Kuala Lumpur.
Scientists Train Neural Network to Generate Process Plans from 3D Models
Researchers at the HSE FCS AI and Digital Science Institute have developed CAD2TechSpec, a framework that converts 3D models of mechanical parts into machining process plans—step-by-step instructions for machine tools. The solution aims to reduce the time required for the design and preparation of technical process documentation in mechanical engineering, aircraft manufacturing, and other high-tech industries. The study findings have been published in PeerJ Computer Science.
Biologists Discover 'Molecular Fingerprint' of Preeclampsia
Researchers at HSE University employed a new method to model hypoxia in placental cells during pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and identified molecular markers of tissue hypoxia. Since hypoxia is one of the key mechanisms underlying preeclampsia, these findings are important for a more accurate and timely diagnosis of the disease and for the development of effective treatment methods. The paper has been published in Placenta.
Laboratory of Future Networks: HSE Telecommunications Research Institute Develops 5G/6G Research Testbed
The 5G/6G testbed at the HSE Telecommunications Research Institute is becoming a research platform, an educational laboratory, and a foundation for developing new software components for future networks. It makes it possible not only to observe how a mobile network operates, but also to change its operating conditions and measure the results: data-transmission speed, latency, errors, radio-resource utilisation, and other parameters. Based on the testbed, researchers plan to develop MIMO, O-RAN, xApp, and IAB technologies, as well as experiment with artificial intelligence.
‘Hedgehog’ Versus ‘Relatives’: Researchers Measure How the Brain Responds to Unexpected Words During Natural Speech
Russian neurophysiologists, including researchers from HSE University, have demonstrated the feasibility of using event-related fields (ERFs) to study brain activity during natural speech perception. The researchers showed that this approach can be applied not only to individual words but also to continuous speech. Their findings indicate that words whose meanings differ significantly from the preceding context require longer processing times. The study also reveals that the brain processes function words in two stages: first, it identifies their grammatical role and then uses this information to predict the next word. The study has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
HSE Researchers Create New Corpus of Early Child Speech in Russian
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have presented RusLan-M, an open multimedia corpus that makes it possible to trace the development of early child speech in Russian from first words to the emergence of complex grammatical constructions. The database contains around 41 hours of video recordings and more than 35,000 child utterances. The new resource will help researchers study more precisely how children acquire Russian and, in the longer term, develop more reliable tools for assessing speech development. The study has been published in Language Resources and Evaluation.
Hybrid Intelligence: Competencies in the Age of AI Discussed at Technoprom-2026
Artificial intelligence is not creating new professions, but rather transforming the nature of existing ones. This was the conclusion reached by participants in the panel session ‘Hybrid Intelligence: Digital and Human Drivers of Development,’ organised by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) at HSE University as part of the 13th International Forum of Technological Development (Technoprom-2026). The experts discussed how the nature of work is changing, which skills are becoming increasingly sought after, and what prevents companies from fully capitalising on new technologies.
Scientists Develop New Solution for 6G Communication Systems
A terahertz neuromorphic circuit developed by scientists at HSE University could make 6G communication systems both more accurate and energy-efficient. The circuit enables indoor tracking of mobile devices with an accuracy of up to 99%. The results were presented at PIERS 2026, an international symposium on Photonics and Electromagnetism held in China.
Scientists Develop Algorithm for More Reliable Processors in Data Centres
Researchers from HSE MIEM and Samara University have developed the LRF-3D algorithm to automatically bypass idle nodes in three-dimensional networks-on-chip. Thanks to its hierarchical architecture, the algorithm outperforms existing solutions in both speed and path accuracy, improving processor reliability for use in data centres, supercomputers, and AI computing. The source code and test results are publicly available.