Michel Büchel / ETH Zurich
The smart sock artificially generates lost sensations in the sole of the foot. As the user walks, invisible pressure sensors on the sole of the sock create a map of pressure distribution and the electrodes stimulate the nerves accordingly.
Diabetes causes nerve damage in half of all people affected, starting with the feet. Smart socks developed by an ETH Zurich spin-off help patients feel the ground again when walking and relieve their chronic pain.
Paradoxically, the success story of , a spin-off from Swiss university ETH Zurich, begins with people who can’t wear socks. It’s a story that begins with a girl who spends her free time devouring books on methods of therapy for amputees.
“Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by the development of the so-called phantom pain“explains Greta Preatonfounder and executive director of MYNERVA.
Preaton transmite confidence and success, with a childlike curiosity that continues to drive her, shining brightly in her eyes.
To better understand how the brain works, he studied psychology and neuroscience. After graduating, however, she felt lost: “I wanted to create my own company, but I had no money, no team, no idea“, says the Italian scientist, at ETH.
But Preatoni is a determined person who makes his own luck. So he went back to what interested him and found what you were looking for at ETH Zurich.
Despite not having a degree in engineering, he managed to start his PhD in the neuroengineering laboratory Stanisa Raspopovicinvestigating leg prosthetics that allow amputees to feel the ground and simultaneously reduce phantom pain.
The potential of these neuroprostheses awakened the entrepreneurial spirit by Preatoni: together with postdoctoral researcher and co-founder Giacomo Vallesearched broader applications for the technology.
What they discovered was that the diabetic neuropathy – nerve damage caused by diabetes – triggers the same symptoms loss of sensation and chronic pain.
Approximately half of 560 million diabetics all over the world develop neuropathy during the course of their illness. The high levels of blood sugar damages nerves and the blood vessels that feed them.
O calf nervewhich transmits sensations from the sole of the foot to the brain, is particularly affected. Patients have difficulty walkingwhich puts them at greater risk of falling.
Sensory loss means they don’t notice pressure points and the resulting ulcers and sores on their feet until a later stage. In the worst case scenario, this could lead to serious infections that end in amputation.
An alternative to painkillers
The ETH spin-off MYNERVA wants to stop this downward spiral as soon as possible. Yours smart sock “Read” manages to artificially restore sensation in the soles of the feet, with invisible pressure sensors in the sole of the sock that create a pressure distribution map while the user walks.
One plittle computer in the leg of the sock it then converts this information into electrical signals. Sewn-on electrodes transmit signals directly to healthy parts of the nerves, literally bypassing damaged nerve sections.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the system adapts nerve stimulation to the individual user and external conditions. Thanks to this fine adjustment, the treatment is customized to specific needs each individual patient and alleviates the pain associated with neuropathy.
Stimulation of specific nerve filaments causes the body to release chemical messengers that inhibit the transmission of pain, explains the ETH press release.
Leia, a project that the Italian scientist and her team have been working on for five years, has the potential to replace the conventional approach treatment, which involves strong painkillers. “Many patients want an alternative that does not cause side effects or dependence,” says Preatoni.
Michel Büchel / ETH Zurich
The spin-off’s founder, Greta Preatoni (right), with part of her team (including the team’s dog, Ari)
A MYNERVA story fits into three plastic boxeswhich are discreetly on a shelf in the office.
These boxes contain all prototypesfrom the fully cabled and rigid overshoe to versions with velcro, zips or laces, and finally the current sleek design, which looks almost exactly like a regular sock.
The team, which has since grown to ten people (and a dog)spared no effort to make the system as simple as possible. The sock is operated via a smartphone app for added convenience.
At the bottom of a box is Leia, after whom the smart sock is named. With its two cushions sewn together, the first prototype resembles the hairstyle of the famous Princess Leia, from “Star Wars”.
“It’s a fun fact that keeps our team together,” says Preatoni, laughing.
This fall, the team will also launch the first long-term study to find out whether the Leia sock can prevent secondary diseasessuch as foot ulcers, thanks to improvements in gait pattern.
“It would be a dream come true if we could prove that Leia can do this,” says Preatoni, eyes shining.
