Teardown: Inside the Neurometrix Quell TENS device

A TENS device for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation wraps around the upper calf much like a wristwatch wraps around the wrist. Here are some of its operational secrets. By Lee Teschler A medical device called a Quell performs what’s called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the lower leg. This technique is said to relieve diabetic pain. None of us here are diabetic so we can’t say whether the Quell actually does what its manufacturer — Neurometrix Inc. of Waltham, Mass. — claims it can do. What we can do is describe how the Quell is supposed to work and what we found when we disassembled it. Neurometrix filed several patents on the Quell technology. The patents include block diagrams that explain the device’s functions. So our commentary here draws upon the explanations we found in the patent as well as what we discovered when we disassembled the components. The Quell consists of a circuit pack that fits in a fabric holster. It stimulates the leg through a stick-on set of electrodes. The electrodes have a backing of a gel-like material that firmly touches the skin. Two snaps on the electrode form both the electrical connection to the Quell electronics and the mechanical connection to the electronics housing. The housing is plastic. It holds a two-sided circuit board and the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The Quell electrode material, top, elastic band, middle, and electronics enclosure, bottom. The functions of the electronics are spell...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Neuromodulation/Neurostimulation Pain Management Neurometrix Source Type: news