Melovox

The Melovox is a smart necklace or pendant that listens to the wearer’s voice and gently reminds them when they are speaking at a volume that is outside the desirable range. The Melovox is configured wirelessly over Bluetooth and supports a wide range of use cases. Loud talkers, such as people on the autism spectrum, can be reminded to lower their voice to an appropriate level. Quiet talkers such as stage performers and Parkinson’s sufferers can be reminded to speak up. People who speak a lot, such as teachers and call-center workers, can be reminded to speak at an ideal volume that allows others to hear them but does not stress their voice or disrupt others. Unlike ambulatory phonation monitors, which use a visible sensor taped to the neck with a cord that connects to a bulky electronics box mounted on the hip or back of the neck, the Melovox looks like a necklace or pendant. And unlike apps running on a Smart Phone or Smart Watch, the proximity of the microphone to the wearer’s vocal cords and mouth allows the Melovox to focus on the wearer and be less sensitive to background noises and other people nearby. Because appropriate speaking volume can change throughout the day based on the environment and social norms, the Melovox device and app support threshold scheduling. In a representative case of a boy with high-functioning autism who rides a bus to and from school, the Melovox can be configured to disable the vibration alerts or increase the threshold during loud times such as when he is on the bus, at recess or in a loud hallway between classes. In addition to the scheduling interface, the app can download and graph volume over time, providing an opportunity to recognize and celebrate success. For many loud talkers, an ambulatory phonation monitor with vibration alerts is effective at reducing their volume while they are wearing the device. When they stop wearing the device, however, they slowly return to their previous volume. To address this problem, the Melovox is designed to be worn every day, all day. The device itself looks like a small rock on a necklace. A variety of rock textures are available including sandstone, river rock, white marble, malachite, and agate. Further variety is provided by offering fifteen different decorative metal faces that plug into the housing.