Surface electromyographic control of a novel phonemic interface for speech synthesis

• Published in: Augmentative and alternative communication Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 120 - 130
• Main Authors: Cler, Gabriel J., Nieto-Castañón, Alfonso, Guenther, Frank H., Fager, Susan K., Stepp, Cara E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 02-04-2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aged; Augmentative and alternative communication; Communication Aids for Disabled; Dysarthria - etiology; Dysarthria - rehabilitation; Electromyography; Facial Muscles; Female; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - complications; Guillain-Barré syndrome; Healthy Volunteers; Human-computer interaction; Humans; Male; Paralysis - complications; phonemic interface; Phonetics; Speech synthesis; Surface electromyography; training; User-Computer Interface; Young Adult; Surface electromyography; training; phonemic interface; Guillain-Barré syndrome
• ISSN: 0743-4618; 1477-3848
• DOI: 10.3109/07434618.2016.1170205

Many individuals with minimal movement capabilities use AAC to communicate. These individuals require both an interface with which to construct a message (e.g., a grid of letters) and an input modality with which to select targets. This study evaluated the interaction of two such systems: (a) an input modality using surface electromyography (sEMG) of spared facial musculature, and (b) an onscreen interface from which users select phonemic targets. These systems were evaluated in two experiments: (a) participants without motor impairments used the systems during a series of eight training sessions, and (b) one individual who uses AAC used the systems for two sessions. Both the phonemic interface and the electromyographic cursor show promise for future AAC applications.