Regarding the challenges of subjectivity in clinical assessment of hemifacial spasm (HFS), limited efficacy of existing treatments, and surgical risks, Associate Professor Li Chong's team from the School of Biomedical Engineering at Tsinghua University, in collaboration with multiple departments and clinical hospitals, has successfully developed a wearable closed-loop neural stimulation system in the form of glasses. This research result was published on January 10 in the prestigious international journal Nature Communications.
The system integrates flexible electrostatic sensing sensors (HFSS) into the glasses frame, which can capture minute facial muscle activities in real time. To achieve high sensitivity in detecting micro-strain signals, the team introduced calcium copper titanate oxide into the sensor substrate and constructed a micrometer-scale hemispherical structure, increasing the open-circuit voltage output by about 2.3 times, thus enabling accurate identification of spasm states. Once the system detects a spasm, it automatically triggers the built-in electrical stimulation module for on-demand intervention.
This integrated design of monitoring, identification, and intervention not only provides a non-invasive, sustainable, and quantifiable closed-loop control pathway for hemifacial spasm, but clinical trials have also confirmed that it can effectively reduce the intensity of spasms and significantly improve patients' quality of life.
