Anchored in 15 years of research at Purdue University, SpeechVive is building medical devices for those Parkinsons disease having a condition known as hypokinetic dysarthria that can impair the volume, rate, and articulation of a persons speech. The firm is developing a software platform that will allow speech pathologists to program the companys devices remotely, helping elderly and physically impaired patients who cannot travel to the pathologists, It is estimated that almost 90% of Parkinsons patientsthere are 8 million worldwide and 1.5 million in the U.S - will face some sort of speech issue. The device developed by Speechvive fits into a patients ear like a hearing aid, and is able to elicit louder and clearer speech using the involuntary reflexes associated with the Lombard Effect
