A vibration module for applying vibrational tractions to a wearer's skin is presented. Use of the vibration module in headphones is illustrated for providing tactile sensations of low frequency for music, for massage, and for electrical recording and stimulation of the wearer. Damped, planar, electromagnetically-actuated vibration modules of the moving magnet type are presented in theory and reduced to practice, and shown to provide a substantially uniform frequency response over the range 40-200 Hz with a minimum of unwanted audio.

A method of processing a raw acceleration signal, measured by an accelerometer-based compression monitor, to produce an accurate and precise estimated actual depth of chest compressions. The raw acceleration signal is filtered during integration and then a moving average of past starting points estimates the actual current starting point. An estimated actual peak of the compression is then determined in a similar fashion. The estimated actual starting point is subtracted from the estimated actual peak to calculate the estimated actual depth of chest compressions. In addition, one or more reference sensors (such as an ECG noise sensor) may be used to help establish the starting points of compressions. The reference sensors may be used, either alone or in combination with other signal processing techniques, to enhance the accuracy and precision of the estimated actual depth of compressions.

A supporting module, a motion assistance apparatus including the supporting module, and a method of controlling the motion assistance apparatus are provided. The supporting module may include a supporting member configured to enclose at least a portion of a support object, and a sensor module configured to sense information regarding whether the support object is out of a neutral position with respect to the supporting member.

Embodiments relate to devices, systems and methods of assisting blood flow return to the heart from a limb. The device comprising a wearable garment (115) and a compression apparatus (110) embedded in the garment (115) for applying an external compression according to a compression sequence to a muscle of a limb of a user based on real-time measurements regarding a cardiac cycle having a diastolic phase and systolic of the user and real-time measurements of muscle activity. The compression sequence is synchronized to comment when both the local blood flow at the limb is in the diastolic phase and the muscle is in a non-contracted state.

A communication system and method are provided for remotely reproducing a touch pattern or gesture as a vibrotactile output. At a touch screen, a first user device receives a touch pattern by a first user, characterizes the touch pattern as a touch pattern data based upon time and intensity of touch at a plurality of array points of the touch screen, and communicates the touch pattern data to a network. A tactile array patch of micro-vibratory devices is attachable to a garment and worn by a second user. The touch pattern data is wirelessly received from the first user device via the network. Vibration of selected micro-vibratory devices of the tactile array is modulated in timing and intensity in response to the touch pattern data to reproduce the touch pattern.

Vibration based stimulation or pressure based stimulation are commonly employed in a wide range of devices for medical, therapeutic, and recreational activities. These are designed to be applied against a predetermined region of a user's body. However, there are many instances where it would beneficial to provide the user with a wearable device where these one or more predetermined regions of the user's body may be inserted through or disposed within the device providing vibratory and/or pressure based stimulation. Further, such devices may be augmented with other therapeutic means such as light therapy or ultrasonic therapy. Accordingly, a range of wearable devices exploiting hollow shaft motors, electromagnetic actuators, and fluidics are presented.

An apparatus for musculoskeletal stimulation allows a restoring element communicating with the limb support to provide a restoring force to the limb support that is dependent on displacement of the limb support from a neutral positions. The restoring force may be applied by a weight or a spring.

A vibration module for applying vibrational tractions to a wearer's skin is presented. Use of the vibration module in headphones is illustrated for providing tactile sensations of low frequency for music, for massage, and for electrical recording and stimulation of the wearer. Damped, planar, electromagnetically-actuated vibration modules of the moving magnet type are presented in theory and reduced to practice, and shown to provide a substantially uniform frequency response over the range 40-200 Hz with a minimum of unwanted audio.

A vibration module for applying vibrational tractions to a wearer's skin is presented. Use of the vibration module in headphones is illustrated for providing tactile sensations of low frequency for music, for massage, and for electrical recording and stimulation of the wearer. Damped, planar, electromagnetically-actuated vibration modules of the moving magnet type are presented in theory and reduced to practice, and shown to provide a substantially uniform frequency response over the range 40-200 Hz with a minimum of unwanted audio.

Generator systems and methods are provided for generating a neuromuscular-to-motion decoder from a healthy limb. The generator system is configured to receive neuromuscular signals from neuromuscular sensors associated to predefined muscle/nerve locations of at least one pair of agonist and antagonist muscles/nerves of the healthy limb, obtained during performance by the person of a predefined exercise (defined by predefined exercise data) with the healthy limb; to receive motion signals from motion sensors associated to predefined positions of the healthy limb, during performance by the person of the predefined exercise with the healthy limb; and to generate the neuromuscular-to-motion decoder by mapping the neuromuscular signals to the motion signals over time using a mapping method. Rehabilitation systems are also provided for rehabilitating a paretic limb by using a neuromuscular-to-motion decoder produced by a generator system.