A gum soother with a vibrating and detachable head. The gum soother can have a wand or spherical body with a vibrating device inside. The vibrating device can be in mechanical communication with one or more detachable heads. The detachable heads can have a variety of chew tips to soothe gums.

An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator includes an electrical stimulation device for generating electrical stimulation signals, at least one therapy electrode electrically coupled to the stimulation device and configured for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neurovascular bundle, a processor, and a memory with software executable by the processor to (i) control the stimulation device to generate and deliver to the inserted at least one therapy electrode the stimulation signals at a selected frequency with one of a positive and a negative pulse relative to a reference to stimulate at least one auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle, (ii) continually repeat (i) for a first duration, (iii) following expiration of the first duration, control the stimulation device to generate no stimulation signals for a second duration, and (iv) repeat (i) through (iii) with the stimulation signals having a modulated frequency.

An assistance apparatus includes a first wire and a second wire that couple an upper-body belt and a left knee belt to each other on or above a front part and back part of the body of a user, respectively, a third wire and a fourth wire that couple the upper-body belt and a right knee belt to each other on or above the front part and back part of the body of the user, respectively, and a motor. When assistance is stopped, the motor reduces the tension of the first wire during a first stop period starting in a boundary period in a first period and ending in a start period of a second period, generates no tension in the second wire during the second period, reduces the tension of the third wire during a second stop period starting in a boundary period in a third period and ending in a start period of a fourth period, and generates no tension in the fourth wire during the fourth period. The boundary period includes a timing at which each leg of the user shifts from a stance phase to a swing phase.

An assistance apparatus includes wires, each of which couples an upper-body belt and one of left and right knee belts to each other, and a motor. When the assistance apparatus assists a user in walking backward while carrying an object, the motor generates, in a gait phase of a left leg, a tension greater than or equal to a second threshold value in a second wire during a fifth period other than a first period during which a tension greater than or equal to a first threshold value is generated, and a tension less than the second threshold value in a first wire during a sixth period other than a second period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated, and generates, in a gait phase of a right leg, a tension greater than or equal to the second threshold value in a fourth wire during a seventh period other than a third period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated, and a tension less than the second threshold value in a third wire during an eighth period other than a fourth period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated.

In an assistance apparatus, when assisting a user in walking with an object, a motor generates, in a gait phase of a left leg, a tension less than a second threshold value in a first wire during a fifth period other than a first period during which a tension greater than or equal to a first threshold value is generated in the first wire, and a tension greater than or equal to the second threshold value in a second wire during a sixth period other than a second period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated in the second wire, and generates, in a gait phase of a right leg, a tension less than the second threshold value in a third wire during a seventh period other than a third period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated in the third wire, and a tension greater than or equal to the second threshold value in a fourth wire during an eighth period other than a fourth period during which a tension greater than or equal to the first threshold value is generated in the fourth wire.

An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator may include at least one therapy electrode configured for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neurovascular bundle located therein, and an electrical stimulation device electrically coupled to the electrical stimulation device, the electrical stimulation device programmed to generate and deliver electrical stimulation signals, with defined stimulation parameters, to the at least one therapy electrode to stimulate, with the at least one therapy electrode percutaneously inserted, at least one auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle, the defined stimulation parameters including a defined pulse frequency and at least one of a defined pulse width and a defined duty cycle.

An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator includes an electrical stimulation device for generating electrical stimulation signals, at least one therapy electrode electrically coupled to the stimulation device and configured for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neurovascular bundle, a processor, and a memory with software executable by the processor to (i) control the stimulation device to generate and deliver to the inserted at least one therapy electrode the stimulation signals at a selected frequency with one of a positive and a negative pulse relative to a reference to stimulate at least one auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle, (ii) continually repeat (i) for a first duration, (iii) following expiration of the first duration, control the stimulation device to generate no stimulation signals for a second duration, and (iv) repeat (i) through (iii) with the stimulation signals having a modulated frequency.

An auricular peripheral nerve field stimulator may include at least one therapy electrode configured for percutaneous insertion into an auricle of a human ear near at least one neurovascular bundle located therein, and an electrical stimulation device electrically coupled to the electrical stimulation device, the electrical stimulation device programmed to generate and deliver electrical stimulation signals, with defined stimulation parameters, to the at least one therapy electrode to stimulate, with the at least one therapy electrode percutaneously inserted, at least one auricular peripheral nerve field within the auricle, the defined stimulation parameters including a defined pulse frequency and at least one of a defined pulse width and a defined duty cycle.

An exemplary subcutaneous medical device implanted within a patient uses a coil-less magnetic field sensor included within the subcutaneous medical device to detect a toggling sequence between a presence and an absence of an externally-generated static magnetic field. The toggling sequence is representative of a digital data stream according to a digital wireless communication protocol. The subcutaneous medical device identifies, based on the detected toggling sequence and in accordance with the digital wireless communication protocol, a multi-bit command encoded within the digital data stream represented by the toggling sequence. The subcutaneous medical device further performs, in response to the identifying of the multi-bit command, an action associated with the multi-bit command. Corresponding methods and a corresponding external controller are also disclosed.

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.