Application to help aphasia patients

We are excited to tell you all that Outloud is developing a singing training application to help aphasia patients. Outloud is proud to be part of the research project with the University of Helsinki. During this project Outloud develops a vocal training application for aphasia patients. With this application aphasia patients participating in choir training can continue to practice singing at home.

The application by Outloud is developed to support training and will be downloaded to trainees tablet devices. The application records the produced singing and analyzes its acoustic features (pitch, rhythm and intensity) and provides motivating feedback. All this will help aphasia patients to continue singing and practicing.

According to studies singing is a highly stimulating and versatile activity for the brain, combining vocal-motor, auditory, linguistic, cognitive, emotional, and social brain processes. Compared to speech, singing induces more extensive and bilateral brain activation, engaging especially the right hemisphere.

Outloud's application will be tested and piloted with aphasia patients and healthy people. Testing is done together with the researchers. With the application you can practice songs almost like karaoke style. In this project Outloud is participating in a research study of the effect of music-based rehabilitation in aphasia patients. The research is carried out in cooperation with the Helsinki University Hospital, Aphasia and Stroke Association and Finnish Brain Association.

Past collaboration with researchers and Outloud's expertise in developing voice-controlled games, voice analysis applications, and audio libraries makes Outloud a great partner for the project.

The project is part of the research project (2017-2020) of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki funded by the Academy of Finland. The project also contributes to the top projects funded by the Academy of Finland, which aim to find effective solutions to promote well-being and health through research.