Microphones Could Save Your Life
Medical Acoustics, Unexpected Audio Applications, Why You Should Stay Curious
What happens when the skills that audio programmers have become intimately familiar with—microphones, filters, signal processing, machine learning and more—are used to help save lives?
This talk introduces the audience to the field of medical acoustics through the development story of the Tracheal Acoustic Monitor (TAM), an invention from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and School of Medicine which analyzes airway sounds to monitor breathing of patients under anesthesia. As a real-time, automated, audio-based monitor for breathing activity, the TAM detects respiratory obstruction and irregularities which may otherwise lead to serious adverse events when undetected. The device captures tracheal sounds via neck-placed microphones, applies DSP and machine learning to classify breathing patterns in real time, and wirelessly transmits audio, pulse oximetry, and accelerometer data to a visual display designed for use in the operating room. Along the way, we'll examine the unique challenges that have been overcome (and those that remain) in the development of such a device: intelligent breath recognition, Bluetooth audio, mechanical design, and smooth adoption in the operating room.
Beyond the technical details, this talk, from the perspective of a student of audio, is a call to attendees to stay curious about their field, and to think more broadly about how their training can make an impact in ways they hadn't yet considered.
Christopher Relyea
I'm a Master's student in Music, Science and Technology at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). I have a background in classical music performance (French Horn) and computer science, and focus my audio efforts in music-related software/firmware design and studio recording. I've worked as Bose as a R&D intern, at Stanford as an audio firmware research assistant, and this summer I'll be an intern at Nintendo of America working on DSP firmware optimization.
As a current graduate student, I find it important to take as much time as I can to explore different avenues of research or niche applications of audio technology with the hope to become a curious, well-rounded professional. In my free time, I love to produce music with synthesizers, play video games, cook, and bike/hike around the Bay Area. I attended ADCx Gather last year, and loved meeting many like-minded individuals and watching talks virtually!