Portable Neurostimulation Headset Using Transcranial Light Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transcranial light therapy devices are expensive, non-portable, and require training to use, with limited ability to reach important primal brain regions, and existing methods for neurological disorders lack effective, cost-efficient, and portable solutions for widespread use.
Innovation Solution
A portable, non-invasive system and apparatus for neurostimulation using transcranial and intranasal light therapy, employing a headset with light generating units and a control assembly powered by a dry cell battery, allowing targeted or untargeted light irradiation of specific brain regions with adjustable wavelength, intensity, and duration for therapeutic effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If transcranial light therapy devices are made portable and self-administrable, then ease of operation and accessibility improve, but device complexity and manufacturing cost may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a headset component with light-generating units positioned at specific locations (temples, forehead, occiput) and a control unit. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system functionality, enabling portability and self-administration without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The light-generating units are designed to deliver multiple wavelengths of light (red and near-infrared) through the same device structure. The system can target multiple brain regions simultaneously through different headset positions, providing multi-functional therapeutic capability without requiring separate devices for each function
2Measurement precision
If light therapy devices target specific deep brain regions, then treatment precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The headset positions light-generating units at specific locations (temples, forehead, occiput) to target particular brain regions. Each position delivers light with specific characteristics (wavelength, intensity, duration) optimized for the intended target area, achieving region-specific treatment without complex targeting mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The skull and cranial bones serve as natural intermediaries that guide and focus the light delivery. By positioning light sources at specific external locations, the system utilizes the skull's anatomical structure to direct light to underlying brain regions, reducing the need for complex internal positioning mechanisms
3Reliability
If advanced neurostimulation therapies are developed, then treatment effectiveness improves, but manufacturing cost and accessibility worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses conventional, readily available components (light-emitting diodes, battery-powered control units, headset structures) that can be manufactured at low cost. The system avoids expensive materials or complex components, enabling economical production and widespread accessibility while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness through proper light parameter selection
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective, self-administrable, and cost-efficient neurostimulation therapy for various neurological conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, depression, and Alzheimer's disease, with minimal side effects and improved mobility for users.
Implementation Method 1
at least one light generating unit housed and contained within said internal spatial volume of said hollow casing of each configured irradiation unit and which is capable of generating light energy of at least one preselected wavelength selected from the group consisting of near infrared red light wavelengths and visible red light wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
sufficient to penetrate through the skull and to pass into the brain
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a portable non-invasive system, apparatus and method for performing light therapy or photobiomodulation upon the brain tissues through the skull and/or nostrils of a living mammalian subject for the medical purpose of stimulating the brain in-vivo. The present invention utilizes the transcranial and/or intranasal pathways as points of anatomic access and follows established principles for the conceptual approach that irradiation of the brain tissue with low level light energy of certain fixed parameters would achieve major therapeutic effects in-vivo.