Towards automated ingestion detection: swallow sounds

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2011:2011:7075-8. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6091788.

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is a cause of many major chronic diseases. In most cases, obesity is a result of an imbalance between food intake and calories burned. Steps toward automated ingestion detection are being made. In order to automate the process of capturing ingestion, a method for detecting, analyzing, and recording sounds related to ingestion is being developed. In this paper, preliminary swallow sound analysis is presented and compared with various other noises captured from a throat mounted microphone. Initial frequency analysis indicates a stronger presence at high frequency intervals for swallow sounds in relation to other captured sounds such as voice. Comparisons show that a single high-pass filter can offer similar results as wavelet decomposition. Two simple methods for event detection are given.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Deglutition / physiology*
  • Eating / physiology*
  • Elasticity
  • Electronic Data Processing
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Statistical
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / instrumentation
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods*
  • Obesity / physiopathology
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*
  • Software
  • Sound
  • Sound Spectrography / methods*
  • Time Factors
  • Transducers
  • Vocal Cords / physiopathology
  • Voice
  • Wireless Technology