Combined Optical Distance Sensing and Electropalatography to Measure Articulation

We present the first prototype of a new optoelectronic instrument for the combined real-time measurement of the tongue contour in the mid-sagittal plane, the contact pattern between the tongue and the palate, and the position of the lips. The instrument consists of a thin acrylic pseudopalate with embedded contact sensors, as for electropalatography, and optical distance sensors to measure tongue-palate distances, as for glossometry. One additional distance sensor is located at the anterior side of the upper incisors to register the degree of opening and protrusion of the lips. Together, the sensors provide complementary information about the articulation of vowels and consonants, which was verified in initial experiments. The instrument offers new perspectives for the study of normal and disordered speech production, as well as for silent speech interfaces and speech prostheses for laryngectomees.