An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator system includes an electrical stimulation device for generating electrical stimulation signals and a plurality of therapy electrodes electrically coupled thereto, each of the therapy electrodes including at least one needle for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neurovascular bundle located therein. At least one of the therapy electrodes includes a plurality of such needles for percutaneous insertion into the auricle near the at least one neurovascular bundle. In some embodiments, at least one reference electrode electrically is coupled to the electrical stimulation device and includes at least one needle for percutaneous insertion into or adjacent the auricle to provide a ground reference for the electrical stimulation device. The generated electrical stimulation signals are, in any case, delivered by the percutaneously inserted needles to stimulate at least one auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle.

A prosthesis for insertion in an ear to reduce pain resulting from TMJ disorders. The ear insert has a predefined shape conforming to the shape of the ear canal when the jaw is in an open position. The ear insert supports the TMJ and associated secondary musculature to reduce strain in the TMJ area, including the muscles, ligaments, nerves, and the temporo-mandibular joint itself. The insert is hollow in the inside to permit hearing and is made of a rigid material which retains the shape of the ear canal. A scalloped indenture extends across a surface of the ear insert positioned behind the tragus.

A device for stimulating neurons that includes a stimulation unit that applies mechanically tactile and/or thermal stimuli to the body surface of a patient that stimulate neurons with a pathologically synchronous and oscillatory neural activity. The device includes a measuring unit that records measurement signals of neural activity of the stimulated neurons, and a controller that controls the stimulation unit and analyzes the measurement signals. The controller actuates the stimulation unit to scan at least one part of the body surface of the patient along a path and thereby periodically applies stimuli and also selects two regions or more regions on the patient's body surface along the path where the phase synchronization between the periodic application of the stimuli and the neural activity of the stimulated neurons have a local maximum using the measurement signals. The stimuli are then applied in a delayed manner in the two regions.

Devices, systems and methods for stimulating (e.g., noninvasively) a subject's inflammatory reflex are provided to reduce bleed time. The method may include the step of non-invasively stimulating the inflammatory reflex (e.g., the vagus nerve, the splenic nerve, the hepatic nerve, the facial nerve, and the trigeminal nerve) of a subject, such as by mechanical stimulation, in a manner which significantly reduces bleed time in the subject. Devices for non-invasively stimulating the inflammatory reflex may include a movable tip or actuator that is controlled to mechanically stimulate the ear. The devices may be hand-held or wearable, and may stimulate the cymba conchae region of the subject's ear.

In an embodiment, a nerve stimulation system includes a headset and an earpiece which includes two or more ear-contacting elements, for example an ear canal insert, and a concha insert. Ear-contacting elements may be mounted onto an earpiece housing have projecting mounting structures, which provide mechanical and electrical connection between ear-contacting elements and housing through various materials and configurations. In an embodiment, a nerve stimulation system includes a neural stimulation subsystem including neural stimulation device control circuitry for use in combination with a personal computing device to control a neural stimulation device.

Caloric stimulation and pressure stimulation can be applied to the ear for treatment of neurological disorders, such as migraine, pain, and headache. Heat can be applied first to increase the sensitivity of the mechanoreceptors in the ear. The pressure can be applied after heating to produce a stronger neurological response than would occur without the heating. In some cases, cooling can be used. Valves can be used to direct fluid flow to a right ear, a left ear, or both. Valves can be used to transition the system between an irrigation or caloric mode and a pressure mode. Green eyewear can be used for therapeutic relief.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling a complex stimulation, which is a method for controlling a complex stimulation device having an electrical stimulation unit including electrodes in contact with human ears and a sound output unit for stimulating hearing by using sound waves, wherein the sound output unit generates sound waves having different frequencies in both ears, and controls the frequency difference between the sound waves applied to both ears on the basis of frequencies of electrical stimulation applied to the electrodes. The present invention has an excellent effect of improving the efficiency of electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve by stimulating the brain with two types of stimulation by adding acoustic stimulation together when stimulating the vagus nerve through the electrodes in contact with the ears.

Implementations generally relate to an earbud mounted camera. In some implementations, a method includes capturing, by one or more cameras coupled to one or more earbuds, images of an environment of the user while the user is wearing the one or more earbuds. The method further includes converting data associated with the images to audio. The method further includes providing, by the one or more earbuds, the audio to the user.

An electrostimulation device comprises a hand-held electrostimulation generator receiving an input music signal and providing at an output a nerve electrostimulation signal modulated by the music signal, an electronic signal conduit having conductive leads conductively connected to the output of the electrostimulation generator, and an electrode coupler comprising an earbud. The earbud is shaped to form fit inside an ear canal of a human ear and composed of a pliable material conforming to the ear canal when inserted therein, the pliable material forming at least two electrostimulation electrodes conductively connected to a respective one of the conductive leads of the electronic signal conduit to receive the nerve electrostimulation signal and transmitting the nerve electrostimulation signal to at least two different, electrically conductive exterior surface portions of the pliable material and transcutaneously applying the nerve electrostimulation signal from the conductive leads to tissue within the ear canal when disposed therein.

An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator system includes an electrical stimulation device for generating electrical stimulation signals and a plurality of therapy electrodes each electrically coupled to the electrical stimulation device and each including a plurality of needles for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neural vascular bundle located therein. In some embodiments, at least one reference electrode electrically is coupled to the electrical stimulation device and includes at least one needle for percutaneous insertion into or adjacent the auricle to provide a ground reference for the electrical stimulation device. The generated electrical stimulation signals are, in any case, delivered by the percutaneously inserted needles to stimulate an auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle.