Grumpy_Mike:
Has it ever occurred to you that this device is totally bogus and does not actually work, and that the patent is a veneer of respectability to be exploited in advertising? Some people think if a device has got a patent then it must have been tested and proved to be effective. Where as it shows no such thing.The fact that the detailed in the patent don't add up should tip you the wink on this.
By all means try something like this if you want, but as people have pointed out you will never be able to reproduce what is in the patent because it is self contradictory and bogus.
I am saying this despite the fact that I hold some patents myself, so I know what you have to do to get one.
Grumps!! Long time no talk!
It may or may not work. However it is on the market and many people have claimed that it's been helpful. Placebo effect? Possibly.
aarg:
I spent 5 minutes Googling and found source papers with much more base information - more than enough to build with, assuming that you know how to build electronics. Which of course you should, if you are going to build an un-certified device with electrodes attached to your earlobes.
Yes, there are a number of tACS, tDCS, tVNS, etc. device schematics readily available. I have a few of them downloaded. My original intent was to just build something from a schematic and hope that it might work. Unfortunately that doesn't really allow me to learn anything, which is my primary goal with this.
jremington:
The device is completely bogus, proved by the utter nonsense in the patent application. Ask yourself why it should cost $700.These and similar quack devices, like TENS units, have been around for decades, and most medical insurance companies won't pay for them, because they are no more effective than placebos.
That said, about 25% of people do get relief through the placebo effect, no matter what the treatment, so ask your doctor what's best for you.
Maybe it's bogus, maybe it isn't. Placebo effect? Entirely possible. Having mentioned that, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Devices are used in a clinical setting on a fairly frequent basis. tDCS and other devices are used clinically too. The Alpha Stim is FDA approved (I know that really doesn't amount to all that much) and there are medical studies that lend some weight to the efficacy of CES/MET. Hell, DARPA has even been working on a similar device.
Regarding the output voltage, my guess is that it's anywhere between 2.9 - 11.6 VAC. This is based on open source medical papers that indicate that the resistance of human skin at the ear lobes is 10,000 - 40,000 ohms. I estimate, based on the very rough 10 second waveform that the maximum amount of current is .29mA. My W.A.G. is that it outputs around 8 - 10VAC.
Additionally, someone has claimed to have reverse engineered this device and has put out some documents. An MSP430 was used in this particular instance. The "spikes" in the original waveform were negated as the timing couldn't be ascertained. Also, the waveform produced by this "reverse engineered" device don't look anything like the original waveform. I think an Arduino or ESP8266 + DAC + 2ch op amp + transistors + various resistors, caps, etc. might do the trick.