Singers, teachers, call-center employees, coaches and politicians have one thing in common — they almost all the time use their voices when working. This implies also they are prone to vocal fatigue at times. Fortunately, scientists found a approach to help them prevent vocal cord strain and other injuries.
Northwestern University researchers recently developed a first-of-its-kind smart device that monitors people’s use of their voices and alerts them to potential overuse, fatigue and injury. The team answerable for the wireless wearable hopes it might be a game-changer for people who depend on their voices to make a living and communicate effectively.
The postage-stamp-sized device is soft and versatile and adheres easily to the upper chest, sensing vibrations every time the wearer is talking or singing. Collected data is distributed to the user’s smartphone or tablet in real-time, so tracking vocal activities are done throughout the day.
The smart device comes with custom-machine learning algorithms that help differentiate speaking from singing, allowing users to observe different vocal activities individually. Cumulative total vocal usage can be measured, and users can set their personalized vocal thresholds.
Each time the wearer is near reaching the brink, the accompanying app connected to the device via Bluetooth will provide alerts in the shape of real-time haptic feedback. The notifications remind users when it’s time to take a break.
Vocal fatigue or injury affects everyone who’s consistently speaking or singing. Overused vocal folds are inclined to swell, making the voice sound raspy and lose endurance. When an individual consistently experiences vocal fatigue, they’re prone to suffering everlasting damage that would derail their profession.
“It’s easy for people to forget how much they use their voice. Seasoned classical singers are inclined to be more aware of their vocal usage because they’ve lived and learned,” voice expert Theresa Brancaccio, who co-led the study, said in a news release by Northwestern University.
“But some people — especially singers with less training or people, like teachers, politicians and sports coaches, who must speak loads for his or her jobs — often don’t realize how much they’re pushing it. We would like to present them greater awareness to assist prevent injury,” she added.
Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, a bioelectronics pioneer, led the event of the wearable. He already had existing devices designed for similar purposes. The team helped him modify them to give you one smart device able to measuring vocal load over time using different parameters, including frequency, volume, amplitude, duration and time of day.
“I assumed it was an ideal opportunity for us to increase our technologies beyond our very necessary, but narrowly targeted, uses in health care to something that may capture a broader population of users. Anyone who uses their voice extensively may gain advantage,” Rogers said.
Meanwhile, Brancaccio is hopeful that even non-singers would find the device helpful because keeping the vocal cords healthy is helpful to all people. “Your voice is an element of your identity—whether you’re a singer or not. It’s integral to day by day life, and it’s price protecting,” she noted.
The research behind the brand new technology can be published on this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.