Project Details

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Development of a vocal dosimeter: Combined measure of neck vibration and total body movement

Company: PSU Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders

Major(s):
Primary: BME
Secondary: EE
Optional: CMPEN

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

We want to create a wearable device that can measure vocal load over a period of several hours. Vocal load can be measured by adhering an accelerometer to the front of the neck which measures vocal pitch and loudness, as well as dosage in total time spent voicing, based on the vibration of the vocal cords. To assist with understanding our goals, you can look at these three papers: 1. This paper uses an adhesive to keep the accelerometer in place – we like this style over a necklace-type device that we currently have: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22875236/#:~:text=DOI%3A-,10.1109/TBME.2012.2207896,-Abstract 2. This paper describes a DIY version: https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00060 3. This paper describes the one we currently have: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116491 In addition to measuring vocal load, we would like to measure overall physical activity throughout the day. Our goal is for this data to be inputted to the same instrumentation module as the dosimeter for synchrony. The deliverable for this project is a wearable, rechargeable voice dosimeter and accelerometer that could record data for a minimum of 8 hours. The device does not need to be wireless and the person could wear some type of belt bag (fanny pack) to hold the instrumentation module. We have an older model that is no longer functioning reliably. We can give this to you to take apart to determine how it was made (see picture of device we are currently using). References instead of DOIs above: Astolfi, A., Puglisi, G. E., Shtrepi, L., Tronville, P., Marval Diaz, J. A., Carullo, A., Vallan, A., Atzori, A., Ferri, A., & Dotti, F. (2022). Effects of Face Masks on Physiological Parameters and Voice Production during Cycling Activity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6491. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116491 Bottalico, P., & Nudelman, C. J. (2023). Do-It-Yourself Voice Dosimeter Device: A Tutorial and Performance Results. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(7), 2149–2163. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00060 Mehta, D. D., Zañartu, M., Feng, S. W., Cheyne, H. A., & Hillman, R. E. (2012). Mobile Voice Health Monitoring Using a Wearable Accelerometer Sensor and a Smartphone Platform. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 59(11), 3090–3096. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2012.2207896