Patients in the ICU unable to speak may benefit from a device invented by Voxello, a spin-out company from the University of Iowa in the United States. The company is expecting to launch the device commercially later in 2016, following clinical trials and federal regulatory approval.

Voxello’s device, called the “noddle" (combining 'noodle' for 'brain' and 'nod',  helps patients communicate with nurses and caregivers at the push of a button. The noddle enables patients to access nurse call systems, environmental controls, and communication apps on iPads and speech-generating devices. The noddle can be used with touch or by clicking the tongue.

Voxello  was founded in 2013 through the university’s Iowa Medical Innovations Group (IMIG), which brings together students from the colleges of medicine, business, law, and engineering to develop solutions to medical problems identified by clinical staff and faculty. The noddle’s student team comprised Vince Hahn from the Tippie College of Business and Zihan Zhu, Blake Martinson, and Ben Berkowitz from the College of Engineering. Richard Hurtig, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, served as the mentor for the product and is now Voxello’s president and chief science officer.

See Also: Restoring Speech After Tracheostomies

Watch

Voxell’s brief video about the Noddle.



Source: University of Iowa
Image credit: University of Iowa Office of Research and Economic Development

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communication, ICU, tablet, app, speech output Patients in the ICU unable to speak may benefit from a device invented by Voxello, a spin-out company from the University of Iowa in the United States. The company is expecting to launch the device commercially later in 2016, following clinical trials and