Development of a Device to Support Vocalization and Allow Laryngectomy Patients to Perform Hands-free and Natural Vocalization : First Report

Abstract

When the larynx is removed due to laryngeal or pharyngeal cancer, the vocal cords are permanently lost. An electric larynx (EL) is used as a communication device for patients after total laryngectomy. Laryngectomized patients have been using an EL as a means of communication for some time. However, the EL has a drawback in that it requires one hand to be used when speaking and can only produce a limited range of mechanical sounds (60 to 200 Hz). Furthermore, the appearance and main specifications of the device have hardly changed since it was first introduced. To solve these problems, we developed a new electric EL (hands-free EL) that reproduces realistic speech in a hands-free manner. This is the first report on the status of the development of this EL. In the development of our hands-free EL, we aimed to generate sounds close to those of natural voices for both men and women and to create a stylish hands-free design. With the hands-free EL, two different types of vibrators were used to produce a wide frequency range stably. In addition, the frequency of the vibrations was kept closer to that of a natural voice than with a conventional EL. Furthermore, the transducer was designed to be a wearable device that could be fixed to the holder, making it hands-free and thereby eliminating the problem of having a busy hand when speaking.