BalanceBelt
Feeling free with every step you take
Contact us to purchase or request more information about the BalanceBelt.
What is the BalanceBelt?
The BalanceBelt is a Class 1 Medical wearable haptic Device, that uses haptic feedback to help patients suffering from severe balance disorders find their balance and regain their independence.
Patients suffering from severe balance disorders such as Bilateral Vestibular Loss (BVL) experience severe imbalance and difficulty walking. BVL affects an estimated 81 people out of every 100,000, which amounts to over 6 million people worldwide.
By providing haptic feedback on the wearer’s body position and balance, the BalanceBelt helps BVL patients move around freely without relying on others, walking sticks or wheelchairs. Research has demonstrated that the BalanceBelt leads to an improved quality of life.
The BalanceBelt is a collaboration between Elitac Wearables, Prof. Dr Kingma, and the MUMC+.
BalanceBelt: How It Works
A smart belt with integrated accelerometer and vibration motors.
Haptic feedback on body position for balance disorder patients:
The BalanceBelt contains several tiny vibration motors (tactors) and an accelerometer. The belt senses the direction the wearer is leaning toward and provides vibrational feedback to alert the wearer about their body position.
The wearer interprets the feedback subconsciously, corrects their posture and improves their balance this way.
Suitable for daily use:
- The haptic technology feedback developed by Elitac Wearables for the BalanceBelt is both subtle and intuitive.
- Light-weight
- Sizes ranging from XS-XL
- Washable textile sleeve
- Chargeable in 6 hours, battery lasts up to 16 hours
Purchasing the BalanceBelt
Past clinical trials have shown a significant improvement in the quality of life for people suffering from severe Bilateral Vestibular Loss (BVL):
Kingma, H., Felipe, L., Gerards, MC. et al. Vibrotactile feedback improves balance and mobility in patients with severe bilateral vestibular loss. J Neurol 266, 19โ26 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-018-9133-z
What BalanceBelt users are saying
Project background
Optimising prototype design & scaling production
The concept of the BalanceBelt was first realised for daily use by Prof. Dr Kingma of Maastricht University. He collaborated with the Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+) and Maastricht Instruments to develop the BalanceBelt Proof of Concept and Pilot Samples.
The initial version of the belt proved its effectiveness in extensive patient trials. However, it was still very expensive and uncomfortable to wear due to the weight and design of the belt.
Elitac Wearables involved as experts on wearables development and haptic feedback
For this reason, Elitac Wearables was asked to join the project at the Prototype stage. Our task was to make the belt fit for purpose: comfortable, washable, lightweight, breathable, cost-effective and suitable for scaled production.
We invited Elitac Wearables to the BalanceBelt project to optimise the haptic feedback and design.
Thanks to their experience with haptic feedback, usability and the scaled production of wearable electronics, we were able to develop a lightweight, comfortable and cost-effective version of the BalanceBelt.
Prof. Dr Kingma, Maastricht University
We developed improved Prototypes for extensive user testing and delivered the First Series in summer 2020.
Current project status
Elitac Wearables has finished production of the first batch of BalanceBelts for international distribution. The product was launched in summer 2020. For more information on purchasing the BalanceBelt, please contact us.
Patient trials for the BalanceBelt are still on-going. If you suffer from a balance disorder and wish to be included in the trial process, please contact the ENT practice at the Maastricht University Medical Center+.
Contact us
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If you would like to learn more about the BalanceBelt, please request more information or visit the Facebook page.