Device Aids Parkinson’s Patients
From: R&D Magazine - Nov/Dec-2015 - page 23

People struck with Parkinson's disease experience issues with their speech
(89%). These are typically described as a low, weak voice, and inability to
communicate in social situations. When people speak over people with
Parkinson's or stop including them in the conversation because they can't
hear them, the patient typically withdraws from social interaction, which
leads to a high rate of depression among people with Parkinson's. As a
solution to this problem, SpeechVive Inc.’s SpeechVive elicits the "Lombard
effect", an involuntary reflex which causes people to speak louder and
articulate better in noisy environments, without placing any demand on
cognitive ability. The SpeechVive device is worn behind the ear by people
with Parkinson’s. The device is operated where an accelerometer in the ear
bud is triggered by the movement of the vocal cords. 

When the device recognizes speech, it plays a background noise, which sounds
like the noise in a crowded restaurant. The background noise acts as a
natural cue to speak louder and articulate better. When the person stops
speaking, the device turns off so the background noise is only playing when
they are speaking. Because it is an involuntary reflex, clinical studies have
demonstrated that 90% of people who use the SpeechVive device received a
significant improvement in loudness, articulation, and speech rate.

Source:
http://www.rdmag.com/award-winners/2015/10/device-aids-parkinsons-patients

SpeechVive Inc.
http://www.speechvive.com