About ATD (Anti Tremor Device)
ATD, which stands for Anti Tremor Device, is also called ” tremor bracelet”. It does so because it counteracts the tremor of, among other things. Parkinson’s patients and shaky patients are – quite simply – tremor back. It may sound a little too simple and too good to be true – but fortunately it is true: ATD has already improved the lives of many and made their everyday lives easier.
Below you can read more about how the tremor bracelet works, what effects you can expect, how to use the ATD and how it was developed.
What is an ATD / tremor Bracelet?
The ATD is designed as a wrist watch. Ie the device itself is a small, black, flat disc that is attached to the wrist with a strap. 7 programs are installed on the ATD. Each program is a unique combination of vibration / tremor that the tremor bracelet transmits to your body via your wrist.
This is how the ATD counteracts the tremor
In the body’s nerve pathways, signals are sent back and forth to the brain through a center called the thalamus, which is important for controlling movement and intellectual functions. The thalamus both sends signals to the body that affect how it moves, and receives signals of movement from the body.
One can compare the thalamus with a disco with a double door and two doormen, respectively. guarding who is going in and who is going out. When suffering from Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor, one doorman sends out signals to the body which causes it to start tremor.
When you have the ATD on and in use, the vibration it makes leads from the wrist through the nerve paths to the disco’s door – the thalamus.
The signals that the body receives from the tremor bracelet are unknown to the doormen (ie the brain). These unknown signals respond to the doormen by closing both doors to tremor signals – resulting in one’s tremor decreasing or completely disappearing.
After some time, however, the brain finds that the vibration signals are harmless and the doormen open the doors again and the tremor come back. This is why the ATD switches between 7 different vibration /tremor programs. For when the tremor bracelet changes pattern, and thus sends new signals up to the thalamus, the doormen again close the doors so that the tremor stops. This process repeats itself for each program / every shift.
You can return to a previous vibration pattern after some time and start again on the program cycle without reducing the effect. Which of course is exactly what the ATD /tremor bracelet does completely automatically.
What effects can you expect when using ATD?
Exactly what anti-tremor effects you will experience when using ATD is hard to say. For the effect is different from person to person.
Which vibration patterns give the best anti-tremor effect is very individual. Some vibration patterns stop the tremor completely in some, while they have no effect on others.
Therefore, you can select two or more patterns that work well for one, and then program ATD to run them only.
Many users also experience a “phantom effect”, with the anti-tremor effect remaining for a while after turning off the tremor bracelet.
How to use ATD
Precisely because ATD is used by people with reduced mobility, we have made it super easy to operate. To get started, simply:
- You wear ATD, just like you would put a wrist watch on your arm (it doesn’t matter if you put it on your right or left wrist).
- Tighten the strap as hard as you can hold it. ATD works better, the greater the contact between the ATD disc and the skin. ATD is equipped with a velcro strap, which is easy to work with for people with reduced mobility.
- Press the (ON / OFF) button – ATD will start vibrating and you won’t have to do any more.
If you have trouble falling asleep in the evening, you can also use the smart snooze feature. Here you simply press the second button on the dial and the function is switched on. By default, it will run for half an hour, and then it will automatically turn off.
You can read a more detailed technical guide in our manual, which you will find on this page .
Here's how to reprogram your tremor bracelet
You reprogram ATD using the included computer program. The program is set up super simple so everyone can join. Using. programs you can adjust the following:
- Which of the 7 programs ATD should run.
- Frequency for each program (there are 3 levels for each program).
- The vibration strength for each program (here are 3 levels for each program).
- The light intensity of the LED (ie how bright it is).
- How long the snooze function should be active.
The program is always available for download on this page , where you will also find the manual with guide for both tremor bracelets and program. Here we will also add new versions if we update the program.
The story behind the development of ATD
Behind this groundbreaking product lies thorough research, interviews with doctors in the field and extensive tests. In the following, you can read some of the story of how engineer Finn Rasmussen, who is the man behind the ATD and who has Parkinson himself, came from idea to ATD.
Finn went on to develop ATD because he wanted to develop an anti- tremor product that could remedy tremor – without medication or surgery.
After long research and discussions with physicians, Finn concluded that a mechanical external movement could remove or greatly minimize the tremor, giving patients a better everyday life.
After extensive user tests, Finn launched ATD in the design you can find in the webshop here.
Since then, he has made a lot of effort to sell ATD outside major stores and chains, wanting to keep the price as low as possible.
ATD is developed and produced in collaboration with Torben Juhl, Engineer Par Scientific A / S.