Nine years ago, in an MIT classroom, a man named Michael struggled to draw a spiral. His hands trembled due to Parkinson's disease. Then, he put on a bracelet created by students as part of an engineering course. After pressing a button, the bracelet vibrated, sending signals to the brain. Michael's tremor significantly reduced, and he was able to draw the spiral with remarkable accuracy. "I feel like I don't have Parkinson's," he said at the time.
This moment marked the beginning of a long journey. Initially a student project, it evolved into the company Encora Therapeutics. After numerous iterations and clinical trials, in which 78% of patients reported improvement after 90 days of home use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the device for adults with essential tremor – a condition causing shaking similar to Parkinson's symptoms.
The device works by modulating brain signals responsible for movement coordination. Unlike invasive surgical methods, the bracelet offers a non-drug solution, sending mechanical vibrations to correct pathological signals. Now, people suffering from tremors can access technology that began with an ambitious idea in a university classroom and has made its way to real medical application, restoring control over their own hands.