Study and evaluation of voice production using high speed video of the vocal folds

• Grant number: 09/51698-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2009
• End date: September 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jose Carlos Pereira
• Grantee: Jose Carlos Pereira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The primary signal of the voice is generate by the vibratory movement of the vocal folds and some important characteristics of the produced voice are determined by the dynamics of these structures present in the larynx. In this way, the objective analysis of these movements and the properties of folds constitutes an important mean for the scientific study and clinical analysis of the voice, both healthy and pathological one. Taken into account this importance, some researches have developed means to evaluate the properties of the vocal folds that influence the voice production and to understand its complex behavior. In this context, the classic videolaringoscopy has been the main method used to infer knowledge about the behavior of the vocal folds through of image analysis. With the advent of the high speed cameras, many of the restrictions present on the classic videolaringoscopy can be overcome and the real movement of folds, can be recorded enabling more refined scientific studies. Advanced techniques for image processing, when applied to high speed footage, can be used to quantify the vocal folds cinematic. Using biomechanical models, the dynamics of the vocal folds recorded by the high speed video can be assessed. These values set will be used as important data source to scientific study of voice production and description of the pathologies of vocal folds and larynx. In the light of these things, this project intend to develop scientific means to estimate and evaluate the individual contribution of the main factors involved in the voice production using image processing techniques and biomechanical models to this purpose. (AU)