A remotely powered and wirelessly controlled intraoral electrolarynx

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Speech Technology
• Prosthodontics

Background:

• Electrolarynx devices are crucial for restoring speech in individuals with voice loss.
• Existing intraoral electrolarynx devices face challenges with aesthetics (transoral tubes) and size.
• A need exists for more discreet and user-friendly intraoral speech restoration solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, remotely powered, and wirelessly controlled intraoral electrolarynx.
• To address limitations of current intraoral devices regarding size and transoral tubes.
• To evaluate the feasibility of embedding the device into dental prosthetics.

Main Methods:

• Development of a compact, wirelessly controlled intraoral electrolarynx.
• Integration of the device into a maxillary denture or dental appliance prototype.
• Characterization of device performance, including operating distance, positional sensitivity, and orientation sensitivity.

Main Results:

• The novel intraoral electrolarynx can be successfully remotely powered and wirelessly controlled.
• The device's small size allows for easy embedding into dentures or dental appliances.
• Key performance characteristics such as operating distance and sensitivity were investigated.

Conclusions:

• A new intraoral electrolarynx has been developed, offering a discreet solution for speech restoration.
• The device's wireless control and remote power capabilities enhance usability.
• Future studies will focus on speech intelligibility assessments.