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Written by Gabi Constantinescu

Gabi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Alberta. She is also the CPO for True Angle. Her doctoral work directly influenced the design and development of the Mobili-T®, a mobile therapy system for swallowing exercise.

April 11, 2020

In this short paper, we presented some of our first ideas about the Mobili-T®. These ideas came from the clinical needs that were first identified by our team.

Abstract

Swallowing impairments, or dysphagia, can lead to serious health problems and psychosocial concerns. Effective treatment can be enhanced with the use of adjuvant visual biofeedback from surface electromyography (sEMG) to monitor muscle movement during intensive swallowing exercises. However, access to this therapy is currently possible only in a clinical setting, and is therefore restricted due to limited clinical capacity and technology costs. In this paper, we describe the concept for a new hardware-and-software mobile system for swallowing therapy: Mobili-T. The system, designed by an interdisciplinary team of biomedical engineers, clinicians, and industrial designers, will help patients with dysphagia go through their rehabilitation regimens at home.

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