Bio-mechanical characterization of voice for smoking detection

The purpose of this work is to discriminate between smoker and non-smoker speakers by analyzing their voice. In fact, the vocal folds, the main organ responsible of producing voice, is damaged by smoke so that its structure and its vibration are altered. Some bio-mechanical features, describing vocals folds behavior and status are used. They are based on the two-mass model which characterizes vocal folds by the mass, the stiffness and the losses of their cover and body parts. Bio-mechanical features of smokers and non-smokers are analyzed and compared to select relevant features permitting to discriminate between the two categories of speakers. The Quadratic Discriminant Analysis is used as a tool of classification and shows a relatively good rate of detection of smokers.