Decibel — A wireless mic + speaker system that gives speech back to NIV patients
Product Design, 2023
About 1 million Americans wear a full face mask for non-invasive ventilation each year. The mask keeps them breathing. It also takes away their voice — they can't be heard clearly through the seal, and they can't hear well over the airflow.
What that means in practice: a patient already under physical and emotional strain becomes isolated inside the room they're in. Family visits go quiet. Critical caregiver communication breaks down.
Decibel is a wearable mic + speaker hardware paired with a companion app, designed with Penn Medicine and Team Gleason, that restores real-time speech for these patients — including voice-to-machine-voice playback and voice-to-text with multilingual translation for high-stress ICU contexts.
Research on Market Size
92,789
Long Term NIV users
896,170
NIV users in Hospitals
1,000,000
NIV full-face mask users /year
Primary Research
Face to Face Interview
Social Media Feedback Review
Observation
NIV Users seek seamless communication solutions.
Design process
User flow
Slide the clip into a strap on the mask
Press the adhesive microphone into place
Plug in the microphone to the transmitter
Product design
Associate system design
Mode 1:
Record your voice
The software interprets the patient’s speech and translates it into a machine-generated voice.
Step 1: Redording
Step 2: Generate to machine voice
(Click the voice to hear the demo)
(Click the voice to hear the demo)
Mode2:
Voice to Text
Option to record the voice and translate into a text format in different languages.
Tap the button to record patient’s voice.
Option to share the message with other people.
Text can be translated into other languages.
Turns the patient’s voice into text messages.
Custom Features
Store your audio and text messages in ‘Notes’
Sort by date and conversation type.
Send the voice notes to someone else.
Purchase accessories and additional parts through our in-app online store.
Indicator showing mic charging status, and allow to locate the transmitter.
Green indicator showing successful connection.
Package Design
Parts detail
Wireless Charging System for Transmitters
Transmitter System
-
Bluetooth
-
Noise Cancellation
Speaker System
Result
After multiple rounds of research, stakeholder testing, and design iteration, we finalized the physical speaking with a digital interface that prioritized clarity, empathy, and accessibility in a high-stress medical environment. The design was developed to support real-time communication between patients and providers using a non-invasive ventilation (NIV) system.
We focused on simplifying critical information, improving emotional tone, and ensuring the interface could be easily understood by both patients and clinicians. The result was a functional prototype that enhanced communication effectiveness, contributed to $100,000 in early-stage investment interest, and continues to inform development efforts within the medical device space.