SBIR-STTR Award

Essential Tremor (ET) is the single most common motion disorder, affecting 10 million people in the US alone. Due to the debilitating muscle movements associated with this disease, people with ET have difficulty in performing daily functions such as eating and drinking and as a result often become socially isolated. Many individuals are also forced to retire from their occupations. Unfortunately, current pharmacological treatments have limited effectiveness in abating the condition, and surgical procedures can be expensive and invasive. To fill the needs of those who suffer from persistent tremor, Lynx Design is investigating a cost-effective, lightweight, hand-held stabilization device. In Phase I, Lynx Design proposes to develop a state-of-the-art actuator/controller system for a hand-held ACT (Active Cancellation of Tremor) device, and to demonstrate feasibility in a proof-of-concept prototype. Lynx Design will evaluate three possible actuator technologies- shape memory alloys, piezoelectrics, and electromagnetic actuators-and experimentally characterize the one found to be most suitable for the application. Lynx Design will then model, design, and build a prototype synthesizing this actuator with an embedded sensor and micro-controller to form a closed-loop system with the capability to stabilize ET. To demonstrate product feasibility, the resulting miniature actuator, sensor, and controller will be incorporated in a hand-held proof-of-concept device. Phase II work will focus on refining the ACT technology with patient input to create a commercial product. At the end of Phase II, Lynx Design will be ready to launch this highly portable, handheld product into the growing assistive device market, providing a far- reaching solution that positively impacts quality of life for a growing population of ET sufferers. )

Public Health Relevance:
Lynx Design proposes to develop an active tremor cancellation technology that will assist individuals affected by Stroke or motion disorders such as Essential Tremor. It is Lynx Design's hope that these devices will reduce potential for social isolation, improve quality of life, and re-enable the affected public to participate in occupations that were lost upon disease onset.

Thesaurus Terms:
65+ Years Old; Abate; Adrenergic Beta-Antagonists; Affect; Age; Aged 65 And Over; Alloys; Apoplexy; Arts; Assistive Technology; Benign Essential Tremor; Boston; Categories; Cerebral Stroke; Cerebrovascular Apoplexy; Cerebrovascular Stroke; Cerebrovascular Accident; City Of Boston; Consumption; Deep Brain Stimulation; Development; Development And Research; Devices; Disease; Disorder; Drugs; Eating; Eating Utensils; Effectiveness; Elderly; Elderly, Over 65; Electromagnetic; Electromagnetics; Electronics; Ensure; Essential Tremor; Feasibility Studies; Food Intake; Foundations; Freedom; Frequencies (Time Pattern); Frequency; Future; Generations; Genus Lynx; Goals; Grips; Hand; Housing; Human; Human Volunteers; Human, General; Individual; Intellectual Property; International; Jobs; Knowledge; Liberty; Licensing; Life; Lynx; Man (Taxonomy); Man, Modern; Marketing; Medical Device; Medication; Memory; Michigan; Motion; Movement; Muscle; Muscle Tissue; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Disorders; Neurological Disorders; Occupations; Onset Of Illness; Operation; Operative Procedures; Operative Surgical Procedures; Pain; Painful; Patients; Persistent Tremors; Persons; Pharmaceutic Preparations; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmacological Treatment; Phase; Population; Prevalence; Production; Professional Postions; Prosthesis; Prosthetic Device; Prosthetics; Qol; Quality Of Life; R & D; R&D; Rights; Risk; Running; Sbir; Sbirs (R43/44); Self-Help Devices; Shapes; Small Business Innovation Research; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Social Isolation; Solutions; Source; Stroke; Surgeon; Surgical; Surgical Interventions; Surgical Procedure; System; System, Loinc Axis 4; Technology; Testing; Therapeutic; Time; Tremor; Universities; Vascular Accident, Brain; Weight; Work; Advanced Age; Application In Practice; Artist; Assistive Device; Base; Beta Blocker; Beta-Adrenergic Blocking Agents; Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Blockaders; Beta-Blockers, Adrenergic; Body Movement; Brain Attack; Cerebral Vascular Accident; Cost; Daily Functioning; Design; Designing; Disability; Disease Onset; Disease/Disorder; Disorder Onset; Drinking; Drug/Agent; Elders; Experience; Geriatric; Grasp; Human Old Age (65+); Improved; Interest; Late Life; Later Life; Meetings; Member; Model Design; Monitoring Device; Musician; Nervous System Disorder; Neurological Disease; Older Adult; Older Person; Patient Population; Practical Application; Prototype; Public Health Relevance; Research And Development; Senior Citizen; Sensor; Stroke; Success; Surgery; Technological Innovation; Tool

Essential Tremor (ET) is the single most common motion disorder, affecting 10 million people in the US alone. Due to the debilitating muscle movements associated with this disease, people with ET have difficulty in performing daily functions such as eating and drinking. As a result, many people become socially isolated and are also forced to retire from occupations held before the disease onset. Unfortunately, current pharmacological treatments have limited effectiveness in abating tremor, and surgical procedures can be expensive and invasive. To solve this problem, Lynx Design is investigating a cost-effective, lightweight, hand- held stabilization device called the ACT (Active Cancellation of Tremor) system. During Phase I work, a state- of-the-art hand-held prototype was developed and tested, demonstrating a reduction of tremor disturbances by up to 80% (for 1-2 cm). This result exceeded Phase I goals for technical feasibility and showed promise for future applications. Proposed Phase II work will focus on developing the ACT system further through a combination of clinical research and R&D. Key developments will focus on: 1) demonstrating/characterizing the technology's efficacy 2) improving control and long-term reliability and 3) designing the system for general use in daily activities (based on patient feedback). Detailed plans to commercialize the ACT system in the growing assistive device market are in place and will be executed after the Phase II work. The resulting distribution of the ACT technology will impact the growing population of ET sufferers, positively impacting their quality of life.

Public Health Relevance:
Lynx Design proposes to develop and commercialize an active tremor cancellation technology that will assist individuals affected by motion disorders such as Essential Tremor. Preliminary studies have demonstrated both feasibility of the technology and a strong unmet demand among suffering patients. The proposed system will be used to facilitate daily living, reduce social isolation, and re-enable the affected public to participate in activities and occupations that were lost upon disease onset.

Thesaurus Terms:
Abate;Affect;Aged 65 And Over;Anxiety;Assistive Technology;Benign Essential Tremor;Clinical;Clinical Research;Clinical Study;Development;Development And Research;Devices;Disease;Disorder;Dyskinesia Syndromes;Eating;Eating Utensils;Effectiveness;Elderly;Ensure;Essential Tremor;Extravasation;Flr;Failure (Biologic Function);Feedback;Food Intake;Future;Genus Lynx;Goals;Grant;Hand;Home;Home Environment;Human;Individual;Information Technology;Jobs;Loinc Axis 4 System;Laboratories;Leakage;Life;Liquid Substance;Lynx;Man (Taxonomy);Marketing;Modern Man;Motion;Movement;Movement Disorder Syndromes;Movement Disorders;Muscle;Muscle Tissue;Nih;National Institutes Of Health;Occupations;Onset Of Illness;Operative Procedures;Operative Surgical Procedures;Patients;Pharmacological Treatment;Phase;Population;Problem Solving;Professional Postions;Qol;Quality Of Life;R &D;R&D;Research;Role;Running;Sbir;Sbirs (R43/44);Safety;Self-Help Devices;Small Business Innovation Research;Small Business Innovation Research Grant;Social Isolation;Spillage;Surgical;Surgical Interventions;Surgical Procedure;System;Technology;Technology Transfer;Testing;Time;Tremor;United States National Institutes Of Health;Visual;Work;Writing;Advanced Age;Assistive Device;Base;Body Movement;Commercialization;Cost;Cost Effective;Cost-Effective;Daily Functioning;Design;Designing;Developmental;Disease Onset;Disease/Disorder;Disorder Onset;Drinking;Elders;Failure;Fluid;Geriatric;Heuristics;Human Data;Impression;Improved;Late Life;Later Life;Liquid;Muscular;Novel;Older Adult;Older Person;Operation;Over 65 Elderly;Prevent;Preventing;Prototype;Research And Development;Senior Citizen;Sensor;Social Role;Surgery;Tool