Wearable Ultrasound for Imaging and Modulation

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a shockingly common clinical sleep disorder that has systemic and devastating health consequences. OSA affects nearly 30 million Americans, and is also highly prevalent in active duty military personnel with nearly 225,000 cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2016. Current treatment methods for OSA are cumbersome and often discarded by patients. Untreated OSA has been linked to dangerous systemic issues including cardiac, vascular, endocrine, neurological, neuromuscular, psychological, and economic. Worse still, OSA can exacerbate and prolong depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers. Effective tests and treatments for sleep disorders are critical for the health of American warfighters, veterans, and citizens. Maryland Development Center (MDC) has developed a wearable system that can provide both diagnostic and therapeutic functions in a single, wearable device that is comfortable and safe enough for use at home. The SONOSA system uses ultrasound imaging to directly detect obstructions and focused ultrasound transducer to deliver a safe pulse of energy to stimulate the tongue into clearing the airway. Together these technologies provide the fundamental improvements to OSA diagnosis and treatment needed to fight the systemic health and economic burden of OSA.