Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects

Tremor, one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), significantly affectsthe lives of patients. Traditional medicines are often ineffective and surgery is highly invasiveand risky. A new approach to managing tremor includes using devices that involve eithermechanical suppression via actuators (e.g., motors that apply forces), or electricalsuppression (using a modulated electrical signal to stimulate the muscles involved ingenerating tremor). Unfortunately, the devices that have been presented in the literature aretoo heavy and cumbersome for daily use by patients and none are currently commerciallyavailable.Building on our previous work, the objective of this project is to develop a device that cansuppress tremor motion by combining both mechanical suppression and electrical stimulation.Compared to other devices that use mechanical suppression alone, this device is expected tobe more compact in size, lower in weight, and offer an extended battery life. Compared todevices that use electrical stimulation alone, this device is expected to be able to suppressmotion better and to decrease pain and discomfort.To conduct this work, we will design smart control systems that adapt to the patients ability totolerate electrical stimulation. We will design new actuators using smart materials. We willinvestigate how to electrically stimulate muscle when combined with mechanical suppression.Finally, a validation experiment will be performed on individuals with PD to determine thefeasibility of the device for clinical use.The expected outcome of this project will be a first prototype of a tremor suppression devicethat effectively incorporates both mechanical suppression and electrical stimulation. This newtechnology will be greatly beneficial to patients who are disabled by tremor of the wrist andfingers and is expected to significantly improve their ability to perform activities of daily living.