Vestibular Intervention via Portable Electrical Stimulator (VIPES)

The vestibular system is an essential element of human balance, which is critical to proper stance and gait. An impaired vestibular system can cause debilitating dizziness or loss of balance leading to dangerous falls and an inability to perform normal activities of daily living. Vestibular dysfunction is both a hallmark of acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) and also a long-term problem with considerable quality of life effects for those experiencing mild TBI (mTBI). Between 2000 and 2018, US Military personnel had experienced 383,947 cases of TBI, 315,897 of which were classified as mTBI. Recent and ongoing research has demonstrated that by boosting the signals produced from the vestibular system, these balance issues and the symptoms that go along with them can be alleviated. The long term vestibular focused collaboration of Vivonics, Inc. and Mayo Clinic propose a multi-modal, wearable device to provide this boost during bouts of activity (active duty responsibilities), but also suppress the vestibular response during bouts of inactivity (sleep, relaxation, etc.), and/or fully cue the vestibular system that has no functionality at all in order to improve the overall quality of the life of the patient throughout their rehabilitation process and beyond.