Giving a voice to people with cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries

An experimental medical device enables patients with cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries to regain speech.

Laronix, a medical device company with offices in White Plains and Australia, is working with the Burke Neurological Institute, also in White Plains, on a year-long study of its groundbreaking Bionic Voice technology designed to improve vocal communication.

Speech is a fundamental form of expression and communication. However, for people with cerebral palsy (CP) or spinal cord injury (SCI), communicating effectively can be very challenging. Up to 90% of people with CP have problems with their voice and speech, and people with SCI often experience significant communication impairments as well.

Until now, communication solutions for these conditions have been limited to text-to-speech devices or outdated technologies that generate robotic voices. Laronix has developed an intelligent, non-invasive device that aims to revolutionize communication for people with cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries by mimicking human vocal cords, generating a personalized voice, and providing significantly better communication quality compared to existing devices.

TheWestchester Economic Council’The Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) has facilitated the new partnership between Laronix and the Burke Neurological Institute. The WIN initiative aims to integrate innovative solutions with local organizations to test and implement them.

The collaboration between Laronix and the Burke Neurological Institute is overseen by Kathleen Friel, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at Burke. She leads a lab focused on improving functioning in people with CP and offers both professional expertise and personal insight as a person with a speech impairment caused by CP. She will oversee the study evaluating Laronix’s Bionic Voice device in individuals with CP or SCI. Laronix will be represented in this effort by co-founder Mousa Ahmadi, Ph.D.

Given that approximately 3,000 people in Westchester County are affected by CP or SCI, this initiative has tremendous potential to improve the quality of life for many people.

For more information, seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n4gNfJv54I.
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