MEDICAL, MILITARY & INDUSTRIAL
creates a challenge for this sector. The clinical benefits and chemical pathways associated with light therapy remain under research, with exact pulse characteristics, power, and wear time optimal for certain conditions largely unknown. As such, despite their potential, they will likely remain limited as wellness tools rather than medical devices in the medium term.
Overall, the highest value would come from a regulatory-approved transcranial light therapy solution for neurological disorders lacking any treatment alternatives today. Moreover, while the medical potential of light therapy continues to be explored, wearable OEMs have an opportunity to continue selling into the wellness market for drug-free health management and extend it beyond just cosmetics.
Endorphin Stimulation for Fibromyalgia
One of the newest approaches to chronic pain management is a wrist-worn radio- wave (or mm-wave) emitter to stimulate endorphin release. Endorphins are considered the body’s ‘natural’ method of managing pain. Developers of this technology, Remedee Labs,
see the value in the device as a user-friendly tool to manage chronic pain and consider it to have the most promise as a medical device, unlike the wellness limitations of others. The technological advancements to develop miniaturized, on-chip radio wave emitters are significant, requiring a bespoke ASIC alongside a GHz emitter to be manufactured on pure CMOS. The GHz frequency range is better suited to long-range patch antenna applications. As such, designing an interface that optimizes the dissipation just a few mm into the skin is non-trivial.
Fibromyalgia is a particularly compelling application for this technology, as existing pharmaceutical treatments are known to have severe side effects. Clinical trials are ongoing to demonstrate the efficacy of endorphin stimulation in treating chronic pain in patients with fibromyalgia as well as arthritis, nociplastic pain (phantom pain), and more.
Demonstrating the efficacy of endorphin stimulators, and obtaining FDA approval as a medical device, is the main challenge for this technology going forward. Yet providing clinical trials are successful; there is already interest in prescribing this hardware alongside
pharmaceuticals to minimize dependence and even aid rehabilitation.
Outlook
Wearable technology offers drug-free solutions for pain relief, nausea, and neurological disorders. However, the challenge is developing affordable, comfortable, and effective solutions.
Although many are already generating revenue within niche wellness markets, accessibility must improve for these devices to meaningfully compete with the array of drugs offered by the pharmaceutical giants. The biggest opportunities are more likely not for the treatment of acute pain but for chronic conditions where addiction is a much greater risk. There is also less competition in this space from cheaper drugs like paracetamol/ ibuprofen, which are so popular for treating acute pain. Reduced device cost or inclusion in reimbursement schemes could also help widespread adoption.
IDTechEx
www.idtechex.com
JUNE 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY 37
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