Purpose

1
SmartWhistle A Tracheoesophageal Voice
Prosthesis that Restores Pitch Variation
Olga Bachilo, Jean Bao, James Cao Katy
Moncivais, Rice University, Houston, TX
(mimesweepers_at_yahoo.com)
Results
Purpose
SmartWhistle Design

• To improve on current designs of
  tracheoesophageal voice prostheses (TEVPs)
• Give female patients a higher pitch than male
  patients.
• Allow pitch variation for men and women.

Elastic Attachment

• Air column length changes with stretch of elastic
  attachment (Fig. 2).
• Change in air column length changes sound
  frequency.
• Sound is produced at the whistle opening (Fig.
  4).
• Upward diversion of air avoids vibration of
  esophageal wall, eliminating dissonance.

Whistle Opening
Background
GRAPHS to be inserted.

• 60,000 laryngectomees in the US.
• 60 laryngectomees use TEVPs.
• TEVP occupies the shunt between the esophagus and
  the trachea (Fig. 1).
• Sound-producing TEVPs have been shown to increase
  voice pitch.

Length of Air Column
Figure 2. CAD illustration of the SmartWhistle.
Air Flow
Figure 1. TEVP at work pulmonary air is
redicrected through the voice prosthesis into the
esophagus causing esophageal wall to vibrate,
producing sound.
Conclusion

• Fundamental frequency range increased by x.
• Maximum frequency increased by x.
• SmartWhistle produces a higher pitch than the
  current design.

Figure 3. Prototype of the SmartWhistle made of
elastomeric material.
Figure 4. Air flow through the whistle component
induces sound production at the whistle opening.
Limitations of Current Devices

• Women sound like men!
• Esophageal vibration frequency is much lower than
  normal female voice frequency.
• Women and men sound monotonous.
• Sound-producing TEVPs induce dissonance between
  esophageal vibration and TEVP sound.

Future Work
Testing Methods

• Scale down the prototype and modify testing.
• Find a biologically inert construction material
  that produces a more natural voice than silicone
  which is used in current devices.
• Test in animals and humans.

A

• Air flow is produced by blow dryer at high and
  low speeds.
• Air flows through SmartWhistle, vibrates the
  sound production membrane, producing noise (Fig.
  5).
• Noise is analyzed with Pratt Software.
• SmartWhistle, current model, and negative control
  are tested.

Sound Production Membrane
Acknowledgements
Design Objectives
Air Inlet
We would like to thank the following for their
help and support The Brown Foundation Teaching
Grant, Dr. Maria Oden, Dr. Michael Reece, Dr. Jan
Lewin, Dr. Julia Leone, Matthew Wettergreen,
Kevin Bowen, Eugene Koay, and the Rice
Bioengineering Dept.
B
References
Guttman, M. R. Rehabilitation of the Voice in
Laryngectomized Patients. Arch. Otolaryngol.
1933 15478-479. Robbina, J. Acoustic
Differentiation of Larnygeal, Esophageal, and
Tracheoesophageal Speech. J. Speech and Hearing
Res. 1984 27 577-585. van der Torn, M. et al.
Female-pitched Sound-producing Voice Prostheses
Initial Experimental and Clinical Results.
Eur..Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 2001258397-405.
Figure 5.Testing apparatusA) side view B) front
view with SmartWhistle loaded
SmartWhistle
2
Nice title bar
Add Department
3
Headings should be content-specific
Insert space between bullet and first word use a
hanging indent so that patients is under the G
in Give
4
Per year? Total?
Spelling error
5
Sexist?
Use different bullet style for sub-bullets to
visually signal hierarchical relationship
Monotone speech?
? Disposable?
6
Scale?
No reference to Fig 3
Bold
3 tested prototypes?
7
These images dont show testing.
Sound?
Show?
?
8
First two bullets report results not conclusions
9
How? In animals and humans?
Identify?
10
Put References before Acknowledgements
11
Overall, poster needs more definition of
sections May want to use terms such as lack of
pitch variation w/in speech instead of
monotonous emphasize learning process that TEP
users undergo. . . Emphasize that device can be
tested in humans who can return to other device
easily because they are removable
12
Revised poster . . .
13
SmartWhistle A Tracheoesophageal Voice
Prosthesis that Restores Pitch Variation
Olga Bachilo, Jean Bao, James Cao Katy
Moncivais, Rice University, Houston, TX
(mimesweepers_at_yahoo.com)
Mission Statement
SmartWhistle Prototype
Results
We aim to improve current designs of
tracheoesophageal voice prostheses (TEVPs) to
give female users a higher pitch than male users
and to allow pitch variation within speech
facilitated by a greater range of pitch for both
females and males.
?
?
Pitch Elevation
?

• How it works
• Air flow extends the whistle via elastic
  attachment (Fig. 2).
• Whistle extension elongates the air column.
• Change in air column length changes sound
  frequency.
• Upward diversion of air vibrates esophageal
  wall, producing sound (Fig. 3).

Elastic Attachment

• At every air speed, SmartWhistle (16 Fr.)
  produces a significantly higher fundamental
  frequency than the standard (plt0.05, n3).

?
?
Whistle Opening
?
Frequency (Hz)
24 mm
Background
Students t-test, 2 tailed

• 60,000 laryngectomees in the US currently.
• 60 laryngectomees use TEVPs.
• TEVP occupies the shunt between the esophagus
  and the trachea (Fig. 1).
• Sound-producing TEVPs have been shown to
  increase voice pitch.

40 mm
Air Speed
Air Column
Pitch Range Expansion

• SmartWhistles (20 Fr.) frequency range is 1.5
  times greater than the standards.

Figure 2. CAD illustration of a 20 Fr.
SmartWhistle scaled up 4 to 1.
A
B
Frequency (Hz)
Air Speed
Air Flow
Figure 1. TEVP at work pulmonary air is
redirected through the voice prosthesis into the
esophagus causing esophageal wall to vibrate,
producing sound.
Conclusion
Figure 4. Prototype of A) current standard design
with a flap valve and B) SmartWhistle, both made
of elastomeric material.
Figure 3. Air flow through the whistle opening.

• SmartWhistle produces a higher pitch than the
  current standard design, giving female users a
  higher-pitched voice.
• SmartWhistle produces a greater range of pitch
  than the current standard design, allowing more
  pitch variation within speech for all users.

Limitations of Current Devices

• Female users speak with the same low pitch as
  male users.
• Esophageal vibration frequency is much lower
  than normal female voice frequency.
• All users have a monotone pitch.

Testing Methods
Exiting air vibrates latex membrane, producing
sound.
3
Future Work

• Scale down the prototype and modify testing.
• Modify whistle design to produce sound in
  addition to changing air speed.

Design Objectives
1
2
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following for their
help and support The Brown Foundation Teaching
Grant, Dr. Maria Oden, Dr. Gregory Reece, Dr. Jan
Lewin, Dr. Julia Leone, Matthew Wettergreen,
Kevin Bowen, Eugene Koay, and the Rice
Bioengineering Dept.
4
Air from blow dryer enters artificial throat
inlet.
References
Sound is recorded and analyzed for frequency with
Praat software.
Robbina, J. Acoustic Differentiation of
Larnygeal, Esophageal, and Tracheoesophageal
Speech. J. Speech and Hearing Res. 1984 27
577-585. van der Torn, M. et al. Female-pitched
Sound-producing Voice Prostheses Initial
Experimental and Clinical Results. Eur..Arch.
Otorhinolaryngol. 2001258397-405.
Air flows into artificial throat through the
prosthesisA) Standard B) SmartWhistle (Fig. 4).
All values are for the actual product, not the
prototype.