The wearable tremor-control device attaches around a person’s forearm, with two mechanical supports extending over the back of the hand. Courtesy of Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu.
A collaboration of researchers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Marmara University in Türkiye has received a U.S. design patent for a wearable device designed for people with essential tremor—a neurological movement disorder that can make routine tasks such as writing, eating, drinking, dressing and using a computer more difficult.
The patent covers the ornamental design for an upper-extremity tremor control device developed through a partnership that began nearly three years ago. The device fits around a user’s wrist and forearm and uses a modular design intended to accommodate different body sizes and needs.
Professor Erkan Kaplanoglu, head of UTC’s Department of Engineering Management and Technology and director of the Biomechatronics in Healthcare Initiative, is the lead inventor. He said the work grew out of a simple observation: Tremor can interrupt ordinary moments that most people take for granted.
“Essential tremor is very common, especially for elderly people,” Kaplanoglu said. “Whenever they try to grab something or just try to move something, their hands start to tremor, start shaking.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders. Its defining feature is shaking of both hands and arms during action, although it can also affect the head, voice or lower limbs. It can begin at any age and may remain mild or worsen gradually over time.
Unlike the resting tremor commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor occurs when a person is trying to perform a voluntary movement.
A person with essential tremor may have difficulty holding a cup, using utensils, signing a document, typing on a keyboard or completing other daily activities that require controlled hand movement. Available treatments can help manage symptoms, but there is no cure for most forms of tremor.
Kaplanoglu said the team set out to develop an affordable, easy-to-use assistive option that could be available without surgery. Some existing approaches can include medication or surgical intervention. The researchers wanted to design a device a person could wear, use independently and purchase without navigating an insurance process.
The result: The team has developed a wearable system that senses tremor and responds in real time. Kaplanoglu described the technology as providing feedback and adaptive control. As the device identifies tremor frequency, it is designed to generate a response intended to reduce shaking while allowing the user to move more smoothly.
“This patent reflects the kind of work we see in the College of Engineering and Computer Science: Faculty members bringing their expertise together to address a clear human need,” CECS Dean Kumar Yelamarthi said. “Dr. Kaplanoglu and his collaborators are developing technology with the potential to help people, and this international partnership shows how engineering research can move beyond the lab toward a solution that serves society.”
A 3D-printed prototype of the wearable essential tremor-control device incorporates sensors and adaptive control technology to help reduce shaking during voluntary movement. Photo courtesy of Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu.
The device is designed with practical use in mind. It is modular rather than built as a single glove-like piece, allowing components to be adjusted or configured for each user. Kaplanoglu said the system weighs approximately 1.6 pounds, with the final weight dependent on the user’s size and the configuration needed.
He said the patent represents a team effort spanning disciplines, institutions and countries. His UTC collaborators are Dr. Ahad Nasab, professor of engineering management and technology and Burkett-Miller Chair of Excellence, and Dr. Gazi Akgun, research assistant professor in UTC’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress.
Nasab contributed to the device’s medical and clinical design considerations. Akgun, a former UTC postdoctoral researcher under Kaplanoglu, played a central role in the system’s design.
“Gazi’s work needs to be highlighted,” Kaplanoglu said. “He helped address design adjustments throughout its development.”
The research team also includes Marmara University collaborators Dr. Sercan Dogukan Yildiz, Dr. Umit S. Sehirli and Dr. M. Caner Akuner. The partnership brought together researchers in mechatronics, medicine and clinical fields in Türkiye.
That international collaboration added time to the patent process, Kaplanoglu explained, because the researchers had to coordinate approvals and documentation across institutions and countries. The U.S. design patent lists the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) and Marmara University as assignees.
“The collaborative work on this tremor-control device demonstrates how innovation connects research, design and healthcare while creating a pathway toward commercialization and broader impact,” UTC Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi said. “This patent reflects the kind of translational research UTC is working to advance: Research that begins with a technical challenge, is strengthened by collaboration across disciplines and institutions, and is developed to help people.”
Kaplanoglu expressed his thanks to the UTRF team, especially to Technology Manager Greg Sechrist, “for their significant contributions to the patenting process for this design.”
Kaplanoglu said he hopes the patent will open the door to conversations with hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals who can help the team test the device, determine patient needs and identify where it can be most useful.
This is Kaplanoglu’s second U.S. patent and fourth patent overall. It also marks another step in a growing body of UTC research focused on biomechatronics and healthcare technology.
In June, the UTC Research Institute launched the Biomechatronics in Healthcare Initiative, a cross-campus effort led by Kaplanoglu that brings together engineering, computer science and healthcare expertise. The initiative is designed to support work in areas including wearable robotics, rehabilitation technologies, artificial intelligence-enabled healthcare, clinical integration and human performance. More than 40 healthcare-related projects have been completed at UTC during the past five years, including collaborations with Erlanger, Siskin and other regional healthcare partners.
Kaplanoglu said the research team has developed prototypes and is now seeking the clinical input, market research, production capacity and external funding needed to move the device toward the marketplace.
“A patent helps create that path,” he said. “It gives the University and its partners options to license the technology to a company with the resources to manufacture, distribute and support it.”
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