Compact low-power TMS device for portable neurostimulation
This patent describes a new type of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device that uses a novel 'magnetic flux shutter' to control the magnetic field delivered to the brain. Instead of switching the current in large coils on and off — the conventional approach, which requires bulky, high-power electronics — this design uses a permanent magnet and a thin magnetic film whose permeability changes when a small current is applied. By tuning how much magnetic flux escapes the shutter, the device can modulate the brain-stimulating field with much lower power and potentially in a more compact form factor. This approach could make TMS devices smaller, quieter, and more energy-efficient than current clinical systems.
What you could build
A next-generation TMS device — potentially wearable or clinic-portable — built on this lower-power, compact architecture; primary buyers would be neurology clinics, mental health treatment centers, and medical device OEMs developing depression, OCD, or neurological rehabilitation products.
Who in Virginia should care
Northern Virginia and Richmond-area neurology clinics, the Virginia-based defense and government health research contractors, and medical device startups operating near the George Mason or VCU ecosystems would have natural interest.
Readiness: Concept
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Ali Hosseini-Fahraji, Majid Manteghi
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed May 9, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20250010089A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology. Email us for an introduction prosim@harbor.capital.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.