Sensory headset aims to improve pilot training by adding motion simulation. As crewed aircraft and spacecraft become increasingly advanced, one biological reality remains: Humans are not designed to fly. Astronauts frequently get motion sick upon reentering Earth's atmosphere. Experienced aviators often get headaches or nausea from aircraft simulators. Military pilots periodically get so disoriented they fly in a downward spiral without realizing it - sometimes fatally. These phenomena are traced to the inner ear's vestibular system, which senses movement, and the way the brain processes this information. "The brain can do this really well on Earth," said Aaron Allred, a bioastronautics researcher with the University of Maryland. But in flight, "it can oftentimes come up with errors." One such error is spatial disorientation, which occurs when a pilot incorrectly perceives the orientation or movement of their aircraft, Allred said. Pilots must learn to override their physical perceptions when this happens and instead react based on the information from their instruments. "Despite current training efforts, [spatial disorientation] mishaps persist in the U.S. military," according to a 2024 study Allred co-authored. For the Navy, this "remains the number one source of Class A mishaps," meaning flight incidents resulting in loss of life, permanent total disability or more than $2.5 million of damage. Another less consequential but more common vestibular error is motion sickness, Allred said. "Whether it's cybersickness, simulator sickness, boat sickness... the state-of-the-art science is that it's all the same thing," occurring when sensory input entering the brain conflicts with the input the brain expects to receive. Most of today's pilot training simulators have such a mismatch: convincing visuals with little or no physical movement. NASA, DARPA and the Air Force Research Laboratory, among others, are hoping a technology known as galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) could offer a solution. This approach uses electrodes on the wearer's head to essentially trick them into feeling like they're moving when they aren't. Virginia-based Luna Labs has worked with these government entities and others since 2021 to develop and begin producing GVS headsets it hopes will set a new baseline for aviation training. Movement without moving. GVS-type simulation has long existed in medical contexts. A Mayo Clinic laboratory spent over 20 years proving the basic premise, ensuring it was safe and mapping how various electrical currents result in different feelings of movement. The technique began gaining traction in aerospace through a 2021 NASA study on how to mitigate spatial disorientation of astronauts returning to Earth. Scott Wood, a NASA scientist who worked on the study, said the goal was to move from training by PowerPoint and lecture to "more of an in-flight simulation setting... so that we could train not only the crew members that are flying but also people who are building stuff for these astronauts on these missions." Luna Labs participated in this effort, licensing the Mayo Clinic's research as the basis for its GVS headset, then spent five years developing a version that can integrate with virtual reality simulations. Executive Chris Tison said the resulting design - now managed by a subsidiary company known as 3WAVES - has received, in total, $3.5 million in government funding from DARPA, AFRL and others. The 3WAVES headset attaches to virtual reality goggles, said J. David Remer, the company's head of engineering. It has two electrodes that sit behind the wearer's ears and one on their forehead. Software algorithms match the electrical currents coming through the electrodes to the visuals. Remer said the company plans to release a version of the headset in early 2027 that's been updated to meet the Pentagon's standards and to offer more advanced hardware circuitry. Jeff Parker, 3WAVES CEO, said the company is also preparing to ramp up production next year from dozens of headsets to hundreds and "on upwards." The Air Force Research Laboratory, which awarded 3WAVES a contract in 2025 following an AFWERX challenge, is now using the company's headsets for other GVS testing. Evaluation time at AFRL. So far, much of the research on GVS has focused on its potential for mitigating spatial disorientation. Stephen McGee said his team at AFRL is taking a different approach. Their study will try to answer the question: "Does this [GVS] improve learning and training and readiness outcomes?" There are two mechanisms by which GVS could contribute to improved performance: making the simulation more effective by making it more immersive, and allowing trainees to stay in flight simulations longer by mitigating cybersickness. Publicly released data on the rate of cybersickness among military pilots is scant; anecdotally, McGee said, "it is something that I constantly hear." Pilots might even be more susceptible than the general population, he added. Further research is needed, but the current theory is that because pilots have actual flight experience, "they know what they should be feeling [in simulations] and they're not feeling that, so it's a stronger disconnect between their sensory systems." Over the next several weeks, study participants near AFRL's facilities in Ohio are to don virtual reality goggles and complete a flight simulation twice, once with a 3WAVES' GVS headset and once without. The simulation "increases in difficulty" as it goes on, McGee said, to allow researchers to compare participant performance across the two versions. The study will include pilots and non-pilots as participants, McGee said, to allow researchers to compare the effectiveness of GVS across the two groups. "Come December," McGee said, "we should be able to start analyzing some of this data." 3WAVES' Parker and Remer argue that even modest GVS benefits can accrue exponentially as the Pentagon leans more heavily on simulator training to practice advanced flight tactics, coordinate large force exercises and prepare additional operators of first-person-view drones. To McGee, the future of any GVS technology "depends on what the data tells us." Does it only decrease sickness for trainees? Or does it both decrease sickness and increase performance? If GVS lives up to its potential, "this type of work has legs for the future of all type of XR [extended reality] training," he added. "I see this as just taking off." Aspen covers defense and Congress, from emerging technologies to research spending. She joined us in early 2026 after nearly four years at McClatchy, leading international and science coverage for the real-time news team.

AuraWell announces collaboration to enhance Post-Surgical Recovery. Alane Paulley CEO of AuraWell with Woody Blackburn, former professional golfer at Mayo Clinic. Alane Paulley CEO of AuraWell with the portable, hands-free, FDA-cleared AuraWave Frequency Therapy Device that delivers clinical-strength PEMF. AuraWell to collaborate with Mayo Clinic on Post-Surgical Recovery Through Frequency Therapy Healthcare Industry Today has spent years working to make this technology accessible, and through this collaboration Healthcare Industry Today is seeking to put clinical-level frequency therapy directly into the hands of people who need it most." - Alane Paulley, President and COO of MagnaWave PEMF and CEO of AuraWell LOUISVILLE, KY, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - A leader in the field of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), AuraWell has signed a know-how agreement with Mayo Clinic to develop AuraWell's non-invasive post-surgical recovery attachment. The goal of the collaboration is to refine this drug-free recovery tool and expand access to innovative, non-invasive recovery technology for post-surgical care. "We've spent years working to make this technology accessible, and through this collaboration we're seeking to put clinical-level frequency therapy directly into the hands of people who need it most," explains Alane Paulley, President and COO of MagnaWave PEMF and CEO of AuraWell. Through this collaboration, Mayo Clinic physicians will provide expertise to AuraWell as they seek to develop a post-surgical, non-invasive attachment using AuraWell's proprietary technology. Frequency therapy has been shown in numerous studies to help with a variety of conditions and recovery, including research published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. AuraWell, specifically the AuraWave, has been shown to improve blood circulation and decrease inflammation, in a case study published in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine and Biology Research. When the body can circulate better and inflammation is reduced, it creates the conditions the body needs to do what it's designed to do: recover. As a family-owned and female-led company whose family founded MagnaWave 20 years ago, AuraWell builds on two decades of experience in frequency therapy, carrying that legacy forward while bringing clinical-grade technology into a portable, accessible format designed for home use. Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in the technology referenced in this press release. Mayo Clinic will use any revenue it receives to support its not-for-profit mission in patient care, education and research. About AuraWell: AuraWell, led by CEO Alane Paulley, is a privately owned wellness technology company dedicated to giving people a drug-free approach to recovery. Its FDA-cleared, clinical-strength PEMF devices are portable, hands-free, and designed to deliver inflammation reduction without prescriptions or consumables. Learn more at www.AuraWell.com. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Pulsed magnetic fields accelerate cutaneous wound healing in rats. August 2007. Rheumatology. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field on knee osteoarthritis. May 2013. Journal of Regenerative Medicine and Biology Research. Use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields in Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: Three Case Studies. March 2025. FASEB Journal. Electromagnetic fields increase in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis through endothelial release of FGF-2. August 2004. Why Medical Professionals Are Paying Attention to PEMF | AuraWell Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Healthcare Industry Today do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

AuraWell announces collaboration to enhance post-surgical recovery. LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (October 26, 2026): A leader in the field of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), AuraWell has signed a know-how agreement with Mayo Clinic to develop AuraWell's non-invasive post-surgical recovery attachment. The goal of the collaboration is to refine this drug-free recovery tool and expand access to innovative, non-invasive recovery technology for post-surgical care. "We've spent years working to make this technology accessible, and through this collaboration we're seeking to put clinical-level frequency therapy directly into the hands of people who need it most," explains Alane Paulley, President and COO of MagnaWave PEMF and CEO of AuraWell. Through this collaboration, Mayo Clinic physicians will provide expertise to AuraWell as they seek to develop a post-surgical, non-invasive attachment using AuraWell's proprietary technology. Frequency therapy has been shown in numerous studies to help with a variety of conditions and recovery, including research published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. AuraWell, specifically the AuraWave, has been shown to improve blood circulation and decrease inflammation, in a case study published in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine and Biology Research. When the body can circulate better and inflammation is reduced, it creates the conditions the body needs to do what it's designed to do: recover. As a family-owned and female-led company whose family founded MagnaWave 20 years ago, AuraWell builds on two decades of experience in frequency therapy, carrying that legacy forward while bringing clinical-grade technology into a portable, accessible format designed for home use. About AuraWell. AuraWell, led by CEO Alane Paulley, is a privately owned wellness technology company dedicated to giving people a drug-free approach to recovery. Its clinical-strength PEMF devices, including AuraWave, the first high-powered home-use FDA-cleared PEMF device, are portable, hands-free, and designed to deliver inflammation reduction without prescriptions or consumables. Learn more at www.AuraWell.com. (Disclosure: Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in the technology referenced in this press release. Mayo Clinic will use any revenue it receives to support its not-for-profit mission in patient care, education and research.) Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Pulsed magnetic fields accelerate cutaneous wound healing in rats. August 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17632344/ Rheumatology. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field on knee osteoarthritis. May 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22504115/ Journal of Regenerative Medicine and Biology Research. Use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields in Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: Three Case Studies. March 2025. https://athenaeumpub.com/use-of-pulsed-electromagnetic-fields-in-treatment-of-benign-prostatic-hypertrophy-three-case-studies-2/ FASEB Journal. Electromagnetic fields increase in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis through endothelial release of FGF-2. August 2004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15208265/