An infant-friendly wearable ultrasound-based system to map and analyze tongue movements

拟议的设备将支持nserc资助的研究项目和合作，这些项目和合作正在努力了解婴儿时期语言交流的发展。所要求的项目将被组装成一个可穿戴设备，通过超声波成像来绘制（记录）和测量婴儿的舌头运动。超声成像是一种安全、非侵入性和有效的工具，用于绘制舌头运动，这对产生语音至关重要，但在很大程度上仍未被观察到。它通常用于研究成人和学龄儿童的发音，但遗憾的是，它根本不适用于婴儿，因为美国现有的设备对于婴儿来说太大了。然而，随着超声技术的最新进展，构建一个可行系统的基本组件现在是可用的，并且具有必要的技术专长，可以配置成一个婴儿友好的设备，小，轻，便于婴儿佩戴。在这个建议中，我们要求元件组装一个婴儿友好的设备来绘制舌头运动。我们的研究团队将使用这个新设备来获得关于婴儿时期言语和口头运动技能如何形成的新颖的基础知识。我们还将研究婴儿处理语音信号时的舌头运动，以了解这些行为是如何相关的。这很重要，因为它使我们能够研究语音感知和生成的自然进化方式——作为一个集成的、相互关联的过程。我们还将把新设备与现有设备集成在一起，以跟踪舌头运动，作为同步多通道数据流的一部分，该数据流包括音频和视频记录以及其他生理信号（心率、呼吸、脑电图）。将舌头运动纳入数据流对于研究语言发展至关重要，语言发展涉及复杂和高度协调的行为和生理活动。新设备将为学生创造一个非常丰富和独特的研究训练环境，以建立与基本流程或临床人群相关的知识和专业知识。这个工具将改变游戏规则；这个新工具使这项研究成为可能，将使我们对婴儿时期语言发展的理解有一个飞跃。我们还可以利用这个新工具来检查进食过程中的舌头运动，提供一个机会来评估关于早期进食和语言发展基础的共同生理机制和神经回路的理论蛤蜊。

The proposed equipment will support NSERC-funded research programs and collaborations that are working to understand the development of speech communication during infancy. The requested items will be assembled to create a wearable device to map (record) and measure tongue movements in infants using ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound imaging is well established as a safe, non-invasive and effective tool for mapping tongue movements which are critical for producing speech sounds, but which remain largely out of view. It is routinely used to study articulation in adults and school-age children but, sadly, not at all with infants because available US devices are much too large for use with babies. However, with recent advances in ultrasound technology, the essential components for building a workable system are now available, and with requisite technical expertise, can be configured to form an infant-friendly device that is small, light, and easy for a baby to wear. In this proposal we request the elements to assemble an infant-friendly device for mapping tongue movements. Our research team will use the new device to gain novel, fundamental knowledge about how speech oral motor skills emerge in infancy. We will also examine tongue movements while infants process speech signal to understand how these behaviours are related. This is important because it allows us to study speech perception and production the way they naturally evolve - as integrated, interconnected processes. We will also integrate the new device with existing equipment to track tongue movements as part of a synchronous multi-channel data stream that includes audio and video records along with other physiological signals (heart rate, respiration, EEG).  Including tongue movements in the data stream is essential for investigating speech development which involves complex and highly coordinated behavioural and physiological activities. The new device will create a very rich and unique research training context for students to build knowledge and expertise related to basic processes or clinical populations. This tool will be a game-changer; the research made possible by this new tool will provide leaps in our understanding of speech development during infancy. We can also leverage this new tool to examine tongue movements during feeding, providing an opportunity to assess theoretical clams concerning the common physiological mechanism and neural circuits the underlie early feeding and speech development.