Squirrel is a portmanteau of the words “squirrel” and “tail” and aims to highlight the incredible and unique balancing ability of the squirrel. The squirrel has a tail that acts as a sensory organ similar to the human foot. It serves as the inspiration and mascot for the company SQAIL, especially in their efforts to provide peripheral sensitivity for people with diabetic polyneuropathy.
http://sqail.com/sqail-wins-ioeb-project-for-smart-textile-in-pain-therapy/
Vascular and Neural Response to Focal Vibration, Sensory Feedback, and Piezo Ion Channel Signaling
Penasso, H. Petersen, F., PeternelL G.
https://www.mdpi.com/2813-2475/2/1/6
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer Gerfried Peternell published a review on focal vibration therapy, which aims to restore tissue and nervous system function. The therapy involves using vibration to improve the health of residual limbs and prosthesis acceptance in amputees. The review combined research on various aspects such as vibration therapy, sensory feedback, and the recovery of blood vessels and nerves.
Key points include:
– Intermittent focal vibration helps repair and form blood vessels and nerves by increasing shear stress on endothelial cells and triggering Piezo1 signaling.
– Stimulating Piezo1 in peripheral nerves may reduce the growth of painful neuromas.
– Vibrotactile feedback influences the motor cortex and modulates sensory signals, aiding in recovery and reducing phantom pain.
The review recommends using focal vibration at frequencies of 60-120 Hz and amplitudes up to 1 mm to benefit motor control, locomotion, pain relief, nerves, and blood vessels, while avoiding adverse effects.
WINGO manages to make walking easier in everyday life and, ideally, to increase mobility without more effort. This strengthens health literacy, but also has other very positive effects on the regulation of this type of disease. By increasing the metabolic activity rate, the sugar level is reduced and thus the progression of diabetes is stopped or at least greatly attenuated. At the same time, the regular stimulations of the gait machine WINGO on the muscle parts set important therapeutic effects in the repair and regeneration of nerves and blood vessels, this was impressively demonstrated in the work of David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian WINGO uses mechanisms based on these discoveries (Piezo-1, and Piezo-2 receptors) for temperature, mechanical stimuli and touch, for which Ardem Patapoutian and David Julius received the 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/advanced-information/
With the submission to PRESEED, WINGO was presented as a functional laboratory prototype. The product WINGO is a smart textile wearable, consisting of a body-adapted cuff or sock with a sensor sole, vibration stimulation, app, and accessories. Years of research at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental Traumatology established the foundations for the current prototype. These have already been validated on initial test subjects in individual medical case studies.
www.aws.at
The company SQAIL has won the IÖB-sponsored project for smart textile in pain therapy. The innovative smart textile provides synchronous muscle stimulation, supports the gait cycle, and stimulates muscle activity in affected areas. Specially designed actuators account for individual physiognomy and are integrated into washable socks, pants, or cuffs.
https://www.ioeb-innovationsplattform.at/challenges/detail/smart-textiles-in-der-schmerztherapie/
