PORTFOLIO

Stroke, the leading cause of disability globally, results in neural circuit damage that impairs everyday movements. Current physical therapy approaches do not directly address this core issue and are limited to short clinic stays. Advanced tools for neural rehabilitation at home are lacking, despite over 100 million people in need. SmartVNS, developed by neuroscientists Paulius Viskaitis and Dane Donegan at the ETH Zurich, addresses these gaps by integrating cutting-edge sensors, AI, and neural modulation into a user-friendly package similar to a smartphone. It includes a wearable earpiece and motion tracker bracelet that wirelessly transmit real-time movement data. The earpiece stimulates the auricular Vagus nerve (aVNS) with electrical impulses, promoting neural circuit rewiring and brain function restoration. Studies have shown that early use of such brain stimulation, combined with rehabilitation, can reduce damage and accelerate recovery. SmartVNS achieves this in an automated manner, enabling patients to use it independently at home during daily activities. The system's analysis software collects movement data for diagnostics, treatment guidance, and therapy adherence. With its intelligent therapy and affordable design, SmartVNS can provide cutting-edge neuro-rehabilitation to stroke patients from vulnerable, remote, and low-income backgrounds. During this project, SmartVNS achieved validation clinical trials and team is now necessary seeking regulatory approvals for wider adoption and eventually market entry as a certified medical device. Successful realisation of SmartVNS will address a multitude of existing challenges in neurorehabilitation, and potentially benefiting millions of people who experienced not just stroke, but also traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease.

The long-term aims of the SmartVNS are to address the gap in the accessibility of neural rehabilitation tools for stroke patients. Up to now, SmartVNS project has successfully reached it’s major milestone - clinical feasibility trial - a crucial step towards larger clinical efficacy trials and eventual market approval as a medical device. The InnoBooster provided the team with invaluable and timely support and has accelerated the development and realisation of the SmartVNS system.