Márcio Falcão Santos Barroso

Desenvolvimento de um sistema protótipo para medição objetiva das forças linguais em humanos

This work presents the development of a system for the measurement of the axial forces produced by the human tongue. A prototype was developed which reproduces the underlying principles of the methods normally adopted in clinical procedures, with the advantage that it allows the phonoaudiologist to obtain objective measurements of these forces. This work also presents an analysis based on the repeatability and the reproducibility of the forces in an attempt to select which of these forces can be employed as parameters for diagnosis and as success indicators of therapies. Preliminary results indicate the mean force as the most reliable parameter.

Protrusive tongue strength in people with severely weak tongues

Abstract The purpose of the study was to quantify tongue protrusion force and compare its characteristics between participants with severely weak tongues and those with normal lingual strength. The sample consisted of 11 participants with severe lingual strength deficits and 11 age- and sex-matched participants with normal lingual strength. Tongue force was evaluated quantitatively using the Forling instrument, and the average force, maximum force, average force application rate, and area under the graphic curve were analysed. These parameters were compared between the groups. In the participants with severely weak tongues, the average and the maximum forces in N (Newton) were 2.03 ± 1.17 and 3.56 ± 1.77, respectively. The average force application rate in N/s (Newton per second) was 1.25 and the area under the graphic curve in Ns (Newton times second) was 18.6. The values of the participants with normal lingual strength were, respectively, 13.27 ± 6.15 N, 18.91 ± 7.95 N, 10.46 N/s, and 108.08 Ns. All parameters analysed differed significantly between the groups. The data collected could aid speech-language pathologists in diagnosing problems related to tongue force.

Métodos quantitativos para avaliação da força de língua

ABSTRACT For several years, researchers have been looking for methods to quantify tongue force and a lot of devices were constructed for this purpose. The purpose of this study is to present a critical literature review about the devices to quantify tongue strength. Thirty devices were found. They were grouped into four different categories: mouthpiece containing sensors (n=9), sensors attached on teeth surface or on palatal plates (n=8), bulbs filled with some fluid and connected to a pressure sensor (n=7) and other technologies (n=8). These methods can, potentially, help speech-language pathologists in the orofacial myology evaluation, making the diagnosis of tongue force more reliable. Some of them present disadvantages such as not being sensitive enough to small changes in force, difficulties in positioning reproducibility and other specific points. The large variation in maximum and average strength/pressure values are related to the large diversity of the methods, which use different technologies.

A Brain Computer Interface Using VEP and MMSC for Driving a Mechanical Arm

The following article presents the development of a BCI system using Visual Evoked Potential and a detection system based on Multiple Mean Squared Coherence method. The developed BCI was used to control a small robotic arm.

A robótica educacional como ferramenta multidisciplinar: um estudo de caso para a formação e inclusão de pessoas com deficiência

This paper presents the results of the extension project with interface the research “Robotics and Social Inclusion: Technology and Accessibility Applied to Teaching”, in which the primary objective was to establish a dynamic of interaction with the external community of UFSJ offering introduction to robotics classes to elementary and high school students of public schools in Sao Joao del Rei that achieved a low result on ENEM. This work also includes students with disabilities from these regular educational institutions. In total, eight schools participated in this project, and among the students there were four deaf, one schizophrenic, one with a sprinkle syndrome and one with intelligence deficit. The hypothesis put in check in this project was whether in heterogeneous group individual qualities of each element would stand out, for the good of the group, in detriment of their physical or cognitive limiting. Activities were developed to reach this purpose with the aim to offer more interaction and group work among students during the classes. In the end it was proposed the evaluation of the project based on discussions concerning the observations made by the robotic course instructors (Electric Engineering Students), Psychology students that accompanied the classes and professors who guided the project. Thus, in relation to the hypothesis that was primary in the project, after the systematic analysis of discussions and questionnaires by the Electrical Engineering and Psychology students and professors, it was concluded that the students’ team work overcame their physical and cognitive limitations.

An online coherence-based BCI for driving a mechanical arm

The present work describes the simulation to be used in the control of a mechanical arm using a Visual Evoked Potential to drive a Brain Computer Interface system. The signal processing and classifying was done using the Multiple Coherence K2N. The proposed classifier was able to detect the difference between four different frequencies presented at the same time. The Multiple Coherence classifier had a hit rate of 95%.

Development and Clinical Application of Instruments to Measure Orofacial Structures

The muscles which compose the orofacial system are characterized by their small sizes and the ability to generate highly precise and differentiated movements that includes a series of rapid shape changes. This is made possible due to the large amount of innervations and the complex organization of the muscle fibers. These muscles play an essential role in mastication, swallowing, speech, breathing and suction, functions that require fast and complex movements. They also contribute to the orientation of facial bone growth and maintenance of teeth position.

Instrumentation to Evaluate and Train Orofacial Structures

Muscular pressure is the guide for teeth positioning. When balance between tongue, lips and cheeks is broken, there are always consequences for the face bones and teeth. The evaluation of these orofacial structures is then an important and routinely made task in Speech-language Pathology clinical practice. However, this assessment is carried out in a subjective way, according to the experience of the professional, what makes the diagnosis and the follow up harder to be done. Due to the need for precise methods of assessing the strength of orofacial muscles, the Biomechanical Engineering Group from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in an interdisciplinary project, developed some devices with the purposes to measure tongue and lips strength and to rehabilitate tongue strength. Those appliances are currently going through improvements and a device to measure cheek forces is been developed. The use of such devices in clinical practice and research will enable Speech-language Pathologists to make a more reliable orofacial myofunctional evaluation, also improve patients´ follow up observing quantitatively the strength gained.