Welcome to the OPAL Project

Dynamic Modeling of the Oral, Pharyngeal, and Laryngeal Complex for Biomedical Applications

Mission
Our mission is to advance the state of the art of three-dimensional dynamic computer simulation of anatomical and physiological structures modeling by constructing physically-based, three-dimensional computer models. The goal of this project is to create a complete biomechanical model of the human Oral, Pharyngeal and Laryngeal (OPAL) complex and study its application to disorders of this area.

Motivation
Dynamic modeling of muscle-driven anatomical structures provides a means to better understand complex biomechanical system. Anatomical structures such as the OPAL complex involves in a wide range of important functions including mastication, swallowing, respiration, and speech production. Comprehensive models of the oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal mechanics will enhance our limited understanding of dysfunctions such as obstructive sleep apnea, swallowing disorders, and post-surgical deficits, such as reconstructive jaw surgery.

Models Developed

• Jaw-Hyoid
• Tongue (data courtesy of Pierre Badin at GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble France)
• Combined Jaw-Tongue-Hyoid

Models Under Development

• Face and Lips (in collaboration with Yohan Payan (TIMC-IMAG Lab) and Pascal Perrier (GIPSA-Lab) in Grenoble, France)
• Soft Palate
• Larynx

The OPAL Group
We are a multidisciplinary research group with members coming from various backgrounds include computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, dentistry and linguistics. We are actively involved in research related to biomechanical modeling, physical simulation, imaging processing and control mechanisms.

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