Ear device to relieve anxiety, panic

Lucknow: A wearable ear-based device developed by King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and IIT Kanpur researchers may help patients manage anxiety and panic attacks through vagus nerve stimulation, offering a non-invasive therapeutic option for mental health conditions.The innovation, titled 'An Ear Device for Nerve Stimulation’, has received a utility patent under the SIB SHInE programme, a collaborative healthcare innovation initiative involving KGMU and IIT Kanpur.The device is designed to stimulate the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in regulating stress response, emotional balance and autonomic nervous system functions.Developers said the wearable system delivers controlled stimulation through the ear and aims to reduce anxiety levels and help control panic attacks without invasive procedures.The device was developed by SIB SHInE Cohort-2 fellows Mohit, Himank, Darshan and Rishabh under the mentorship of Prof Sujita Kumar Kar and Dr Amit Kumar from KGMU’s department of psychiatry, and Prof Gowdham Prabhakar from IIT Kanpur’s department of design.Officials said this is the third utility patent secured under the SIB SHInE programme for different medical device technologies. Prof Dr Rishi Sethi, executive director of SIB SHInE, said the achievement reflected the growing strength of translational healthcare research and collaboration between clinicians and engineers.Senior programme manager Sumit Kumar Vaish said several more patent applications developed under the programme are under examination.