In 2017 a MIT student team demonstrated a wrist‑band prototype in the 2.009 product‑design class. During the demo, Michael, who suffers from Parkinson’s‑related tremor, tried to draw a spiral on stage. When he pressed the button on the band, a subtle vibration traveled up his wrist into his brain, and his tremor faded within seconds, allowing him to draw precisely to loud applause.
The striking result sparked immediate demand, but only one prototype existed. The team leveraged MIT Sandbox, MIT FUSE, and the MIT Venture Mentoring Service to spin out Encora Therapeutics, iterating the hardware dozens of times and launching clinical trials. A 2022 trial with 20 Parkinson’s patients showed 78% reported benefit after 90 days of home use. In 2024 a randomized controlled trial with 47 essential‑tremor patients and a subsequent 59‑patient home‑use study both demonstrated meaningful improvement in over 70% of participants.
These outcomes secured FDA 510(k) clearance in February, authorizing the watch‑like device for adult essential tremor. The device delivers mechanical vibration to stretch receptors in the wrist, activating peripheral nerves that convey patterned signals to the central nervous system, targeting the same brain regions addressed by invasive deep‑brain stimulation surgery, thereby suppressing pathological pulsed motor output.
Founders Daniel Carballo, Allison Davanzo, and Kyle Pina originated the concept in the 2017 2.009 class. Carballo’s idea stemmed from robotics coursework on neural control of movement and was initially dismissed by most teammates, but Michael’s live demonstration convinced the team to pursue commercialization.
Encora is now building a national sales force and seeking insurer coverage. As production scales, qualified patients will gain access to the device. The company also aims to extend the technology to Parkinson’s patients and other movement disorders, positioning it as a platform for wearable neuromodulation.
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