39 results about "Vestibular system" patented technology

An electrode assembly for delivering electrical stimulation to a vestibular system of a user or monitoring a physiological parameter of the user. The apparatus includes a body member comprising an electrode support portion and a curved portion extending from the electrode support portion, and an electrode coupled to the electrode support portion. A method of using such an apparatus is also disclosed. The present invention also provides an electrode assembly that includes a body member, an electrode coupled to the body member, a hydrogel element disposed on at least a portion of the electrode. In one embodiment, the hydrogel element includes a hydrogel material and a insulating material disposed on or in the hydrogel material such that the insulating layer disperses energy transmitted by the electrode through the hydrogel material.

A device and associated method for providing vestibular stimulation to an individual includes active elements positioned on or proximate an ear insert. The active elements include but are not limited to at least one electrode, at least one thermometer, and at least one thermoelectric transducer. The device includes a computerized control module regulating the active elements. The device incorporates an ear insert that allows the active elements to engage the individual's ear canal and therefore access the individual's vestibular system. Vestibular stimulation applied to the individual is customized for directly stimulating desired regions of the brain for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. In a preferred embodiment, the device provides vestibular stimulation sufficient to promote physiological changes in the individual, the changes selected from the group consisting of circadian temperature cycle time shifts, ascorbic acid production, serotonin production, acetylcholine production, histamine production, and heat shock protein production.

The present invention provides devices, systems and methods for delivering one or more thermal waveforms to the vestibular system and/or the nervous system of a patient. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a vestibular stimulation device configured both to generate a prescription for delivering one or more thermal waveforms and to deliver the prescribed thermal waveforms.

Disclosed herein is a system to stimulate at least a part of the vestibular system of a patient to induce a sensation of anorexia to promote weight loss. The system can include a thermal element, a power source, a conduit, and a control unit configured to regulate the temperature of the thermal element, the duration in which the thermal element is applied, the duration in between thermal stimuli, and/or the number of stimulus cycles to promote a sensation of anorexia in a patient while avoiding or minimizing undesirable side effects such as nausea, vomiting, nystagmus, or vertigo. Methods of using the system are also disclosed.

A stabilometric system is provided that uses a balance platform to detect problems in the vestibular system via data capture, data visualization and mathematical analysis of data, the system having means for data capture that obtain customized records and store data resulting from the readings of the sensors of the balance platform, means for displaying the data obtained using stabilometric tests on a screen that is controlled by a computer, and means for processing the data obtained from the measurements.

A head-mounted neurological assessment system including a head-mounted frame adapted to fit on a head of a user. One or more sensors are configured to measure parameters associated with an injured brain and/or vestibular system of the user. A display device is coupled to the frame and proximate eyes of the user. A processor subsystem is coupled to the one or more sensors and the display device and configured to perform tests for monitoring the function of an injured brain and/or vestibular system of the user.

Apparatus and method for delivering audible, electrical or mechanical tones having a specific characteristic to a human vestibular system to achieve thereby a therapeutic result.

The invention is directed toward a non-chemical method of relieving motion sickness that first includes the step of refrigerating an enhanced earplug. The enhanced earplug has a first portion having a handle and connector. The second portion having a first end and a corresponding second end where the first end is affixed to the first portion through the connector. This second portion also includes a deformable bladder having a cavity and a quantity of coolant maintained within the deformable bladder. The second step is to insert the enhanced earplug into a user's ear canal through use of the handle. The third step is to cool the vestibular system of the user placing the coolant close to the ear drum. A fourth step includes removing the enhanced earplug. These four steps are repeated as necessary prior to engaging in an event, which could cause motion sickness.

Systems and method for selectively applying blinders to remove high peripheral optical flow from three-dimensional imagery. When users experience visual cues corresponding to motion in virtual reality without corresponding non-visual clues (such as cues from the vestibular system), motion sickness can result. Peripheral optic flow is a particularly strong visual cue associated with motion. However, unconditionally removing peripheral imagery significantly reduces user immersion. Embodiments of the invention can selectively apply peripheral blinders to remove high peripheral optic flow and add non-visual motion cues (such as directional audio) corresponding to the virtual motion to reduce or eliminate the disconnect that can cause motion sickness.

A method and apparatus for diagnosing and/or treating mood disorders, such as depression, is provided. Right vestibular function in subjects diagnosed with a mood disorder is diminished compared with subjects who do not have a mood disorder. Accordingly, a method and apparatus for determining right vestibular function in a subject is provided, from which a diagnosis of a mood disorder may be determined. Stimulation of the vestibular system of a subject diagnosed with a mood disorder may reduce symptoms of the mood disorder in the subject. A method and apparatus for registering a subject's response to stimulation of the vestibular system and providing therapeutic vestibular stimulation based on the subject's response is provided. A subject's response to stimulation of the vestibular system may be based on measurements of nystagmus in the subject.

The invention discloses a nystagmus signal feature extraction and tracking algorithm for diagnosing diseases of a vestibular system, in particular to a video image processing method and a target locating and tracking method, which are accurate in identification and meet clinical requirements. The invention comprises the following steps: 1, reconstructing the opening and closing operation to removethe light spot; 2, the change of the top cap and the bottom cap enhancing the pupil area; 3, positioning the center of pupil; 4, pupil cent tracking; 5, closing the eyes to detect and track the waveform to remove interference. The reconstruction opening operation and the image enhancement method proposed by the invention can effectively preprocess the nystagmus image and accurately extract the pupil of the nystagmus image; the proposed method not only has high recognition accuracy, but also improves the speed of image computation and meets the clinical real-time requirements. In addition, theinvention performs eye-closing detection on nystagmus images and removes nystagmus signal interference, thereby eliminating large deviation and providing reliable basis for subsequent nystagmus signal analysis and research.

The invention relates to the field of electronic technology and discloses a method and apparatus for alleviating vertigo. In the invention, the method is applied to a mobile terminal and comprises the steps of reducing a user operation interface; obtaining two-axis acceleration through a gravity sensor; and controlling the movement of the user operation interface in a screen of the mobile terminal according to the two-axis acceleration. According to the embodiment of the invention, the movement state captured by human eyes are enabled to maintain consistent with the movement state fed back by a vestibular system to the greatest possibility by reducing the user operation interface of the mobile terminal and controlling the movement of the reduced user operation interface in the screen of the mobile terminal, then, the vertigo can be alleviated or prevented, and the user experience is thus enhanced.

The hollow pneumatic sole sneaker creates an unstable condition, forcing the user to employ balance and equilibrium which is controlled and executed automatically by the brain through the core and leg muscles without conscious thinking. In an unstable position the human body's censoring systems (vestibular system, visual system, muscle, tendon and joints censoring system) create and send continuous signals to the brain of the body's position and movements. The signals are analyzed, interpreted and integrated in the brain and then the motor cortex creates a plan to execute the necessary muscle contractions to automatically maintain balance and equilibrium through the core and primary muscles of the body. Thus the unstable position of the human body has created the natural unconscious automatic possibilities to train the brain and muscles of the sneaker user.

The invention relates to anti-carsickness seat. The anti-carsickness seat comprises a base, a seat cushion, a handrail, a backrest and a back cushion; the anti-carsickness seat is provided with a frequency measuring sensor, spring damper units and a control center, wherein the spring damper units are arranged in the seat cushion and the base, and the control center is connected with the frequency measuring sensor and used for controlling the vibration frequency of the spring damper unit; and when the vibration frequency of the seat, which is measured by the frequency measuring sensor, is close to the frequency of a human ear vestibule system of a human body, the control center controls the current of the spring damper unit to adjust the vibration frequency of the spring damper unit so as to counteract the vibration of the seat. Compared with the prior art, the anti-carsickness seat has the advantages that the resonance phenomenon is solved from the source; and by enhancing or weakening the frequency of the automobile seat, the frequency of the automobile seat is not within the frequency range of the resonance with the human body so that resonance is eliminated and side effects of drugs and so on on the human body are avoided.

The invention discloses a washout algorithm-based Stewart platform control method. The method comprises the following steps of S1) obtaining an accelerated velocity of a driver vestibular system; S2)obtaining an instantaneous output accelerated velocity in a translational direction of the accelerated velocity of the driver vestibular system; S3) performing compensation processing on accelerated velocities smaller than a human body threshold in the instantaneous output accelerated velocity; and S4) integrating the input accelerated velocities subjected to the compensation processing to obtainan actual output accelerated velocity in a translational direction of a Stewart platform.

The invention discloses a control system of a Stewart platform based on a washout algorithm. The control system comprises a data acquisition system and a data processing system. The data acquisition system is in data connection with a game or a visual system and used for obtaining instant output accelerated speed of a translational direction of accelerated speed of a vestibular system of a driverfrom the game or the visual system and obtaining the distance from the center of an upper platform of the Stewart platform to a brain vestibular system. The data processing system is electrically connected with the data acquisition system and used for compensating accelerated speed, less than threshold value of a human body, of the instant output accelerated speed and integrating input acceleratedspeed subjected to compensation operation in order to obtain actual output accelerated speed of the translational direction of the Stewart platform.

The invention provides a head-mounted weight reducing apparatus and relates to the technical field of electronic health apparatuses. The technical problems existing in the prior art that weight reducing by operation and weight reduction with drugs have low safety are solved. The device comprises a pulse generator capable of generating and regulating pulse, a therapeutic electrode and a shell, wherein the therapeutic electrode is arranged in the shell, and one end of the therapeutic electrode is exposed out of the shell; one end of the therapeutic electrode exposed out of the shell is in contact with the head; the other end of the therapeutic electrode is connected with a pulse output port of the pulse generator; when the shell is worn on the human head, a pulse signal generated by the pulse generator stimulates a vestibular system of human ears by virtue of a contact of the therapeutic electrode; the vestibular system acts on the hypothalamus. The apparatus disclosed by the invention is used for weight reducing, and the hypothalamus is indirectly stimulated by adopting the pulse signal, so that the brain transmits a signal of reducing fat depot, metabolism is promoted, sense of hunger is reduced, the safety is high, and after the apparatus is used for a long period of time, obesity does not occur.

The subject's vestibular system is stimulated according to a treatment regimen specifying one or more parameters of stimulation. The system is configured such that at a single site, one or more parameters of stimulation vary with different locations at the site. This can enhance the customizability and/or effectiveness of the stimulus.