| Summary: |
This project proposal focuses on advanced assistive technology helping patients affected by voice dysphonia, notably temporary or permanent aphonia, to communicate effectively and comfortably. Our vision is that the assistive technology captures the dysphonic voice by means of a microphone and reconstructs natural voice in real-time, which is reproduced seamlessly. In this project, we rely on an exceptional multidisciplinary team with proven expertise and experience in the areas of Engineering, Otorhinolaryngology and Speech Therapy in order to carry dedicated R&D leading to the design and realization of an innovative, fully automatic, Dysphonic to Natural Voice Reconstruction (DyNaVoiceR) system. This system will convert whisper-like speech sounds into natural speech by implanting synthetic voicing that is carefully shaped in frequency and time, such as to preserve and enhance the linguistic information, convey idiosyncratic elements of a voice signature, and improve voice projection. |