Parallel Universes: Treatment of Parkinson’s Symptoms

By Jack Hipple, reporting

Sometimes we, as TRIZ practitioners, get so involved in advancing algorithms, software, etc. that we forget the very basics of what Altshuller observed and is the basis for everything we do. And that is that there are few really new problems or ways to solve them. The problems we face are the same as old ones in a different wrapper, usually described in strange or unfamiliar language. That’s why there are a limited number of inventive principles that we constantly reuse.

Parkinson’s disease is an insidious, incurable disease which cripples muscle control. There are no cures, and people with this disease have uncontrollable muscle spasms because they have lost control of the electrical impulses which control muscle movement. I have seen this first hand in the father of one of my sons-in-law.

The link associated with this posting demonstrates some breakthrough research resulting in almost complete control of these muscle spasms. It does not cure the disease but makes life far more tolerable. You can see it in the eyes and tears of the patient and family.

What is being done here? The “injection” of a 180-degree electrical signal to counter the Parkinson's signal trying to cause the muscle to move simply by wearing a new device.

Now ask yourself, what does a Bose headset do? How does it prevent external noise from being heard? It senses the external noise signal and generates, almost instantaneously, a 180-degree countering noise signal, resulting in no external noise interfering with the music you are listening to. Now tell me, what’s the difference? No one in the Parkinson’s community, until this research, saw the connection. And no one from Bose, though I am sure they are making a lot of money selling head phone and other noise canceling equipment, saw the possibly even more profitable use of their “noise canceling” technology.

“Someone, somewhere has already solved your problem.”

For a video of this research, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:6505880939808329728/