Vital capacity and airflow for voice care using a vortex whistle
Official title: Vital capacity & airflow measurement for voice evaluation: A vortex whistle system
Funded at University of Central Florida · NIH-11367349 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A team at the University of Central Florida is creating an inexpensive vortex whistle and software to measure breathing and airflow during voice use, helping clinicians evaluate voice disorders in children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Central Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orlando, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $614,869 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020799-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367349 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 with voice or coordination concerns who are seen by speech-language pathologists.
✕Less likely to help
Children without voice disorders or those not assessed using respiratory or aerodynamic measures may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project aims to make affordable, accurate measures of respiratory capacity and phonatory airflow available to speech-language pathologists. It combines acoustics, statistics, and engineering to design a low-cost device and software that estimate vital capacity and mean phonatory airflow during sustained voicing. The approach uses a vortex whistle whose frequency relates to the airflow, enabling a simple test that could fit into everyday clinical practice. The work seeks to complement existing spirometry by offering a practical tool for better voice assessment in kids with coordination or other speech-related issues.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinicians could better diagnose and monitor pediatric voice disorders with a lower-cost, easy-to-use device.
How similar studies have gone: This design approach builds on established relationships between airflow and voice measures, but the specific vortex whistle tool is a novel, cost-saving method.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Central Florida
Orlando, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Awan, Shaheen — University of Central Florida
- Study coordinator: Awan, Shaheen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.