A Wearable Electrical Vestibular Stimulation System for Tracking and Enhancing Human Balance and Gait

The vestibular balance system detects linear and angular head motion and plays a role in stabilization of human balance and walking. Age-related vestibular disruptions increase fall risks for a large fraction of our elderly populations and make it increasingly difficult to continue living activity and independently, both of which have very large associated healthcare costs. As a result, there is a large unmet need for lower cost and more widely accessible diagnostic and therapeutic solutions that target impairments to the human vestibular balance system. Current wearable devices can only monitor human movement, so a wearable device that can both diagnose and treat human balance and gait impairments represents a fundamental new capability. Neursantys has developed such a device by integrating the company’s innovations in non-invasive balance and gait impairment diagnostic sensor technology, non-invasive electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS)-based balance therapeutics, and machine-learning based device automation. The ease of use and wearable form factor of the Neursantys solution further enable its use for both in-clinic and remote patient care, providing a convenient, low-cost alternative to improve patient quality of care and reduce health care costs. In this project we will
• assess the feasibility of Neursantys diagnostic sensor technology to measure balance and gait stability while walking;
• rigorously test and quantify the ability of the Neursantys electrical vestibular stimulator to enhance balance while walking, similar to the human vestibular system;
• assess corresponding improvements in elderly population and healthcare utilization

Faculty Supervisor:

Ryan Peters;Arthur Kuo

Student:

Partner:

Neursantys

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Calgary

Program: