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A group of Japanese engineers came up with the idea of developing an electrolarynx, allowing it to sound closer to a more human voice. Still in the test phase, the inventors hope to perpetuate their discovery called Syrinx and extend its use on the world market.
Throat cancer affects approximately 184,000 people each year worldwide. And when necessary, affected patients must be operated and undergo a laryngectomy which will make them lose the use of their voice.
Development of an improved electrolarynx
To be able to speak, there are rehabilitation techniques that use the esophagus or the use of an electrolarynx, a small box which is held against the user’s neck by straps and which creates vibrations to allow him to speak, by transmitting sound through the movement of the tongue and lips. But this tool gives a rather robotic voice, which can be annoying for its user.
This is why a group of Japanese engineers who graduated from the University of Tokyo, including Masaki Takeuchi, decided to try to improve the device. This is how Syrinx was born in 2019, a portable, hands-free and machine-learning electrolarynx.
Create sounds closer to the human voice
The main difference between the traditional electrolarynx and the Syrinx is how Takeuchi’s device creates sound. Masaki Takeuchi explains to our CNN colleagues that “conventional devices use pulsed waves, which can produce loud sound, but are far from human voice – more robotic and mechanical. So we took human recordings and processed them to create sounds closer to a human voice.”.
Additionally, Syrinx has two transducers that help generate a wider range of sound wave frequencies. These elements make the device produce a more natural sound.
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Use artificial intelligence
The young engineer explains that he used artificial intelligence at the start, before abandoning this technology. “In the near future, we would like to introduce AI again to create sounds that are much closer to human voices.” explains Masaki Takeuchi, who adds that his device can also take old recordings of the patient’s voice.
His invention, which has already been awarded twice in 2020 and 2021, is still in the test phase. Masaki Takeuchi hopes to pass the strict selection criteria required for clinical trials and bring Syrinx to market within the next decade.