Skip to content
Bored Studies
RecruitingAccepts healthy volunteers

Evaluation of a Device to Reduce Motion Sickness and Spatial Disorientation

59th Medical Wing · with Defense Health Agency · NCT06892340

View Study & Apply (opens in a new tab)

Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 18–50 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
36
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
February 21, 2025
Record last updated
August 15, 2025

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

The purpose of this research study is to learn how a wearable nerve stimulation device, the Spark Biomedical's Sparrow Ascent System™, impacts the development of spatial disorientation and/or motion sickness in a healthy population.

Spatial disorientation is when there is a "mismatch" between where a person is, and where the sense organs in their body tell them where they are. These sense organs include the inner ear (the vestibular system), the eyes (the visual system), the sense of where one's legs, back, and neck are (proprioceptive system), and one's higher thinking (cognitive centers). If spatial disorientation is severe or occurs in motion-naïve individuals, spatial disorientation can lead to motion sickness.

The Sparrow Ascent System™ is a wearable, battery-operated transcutaneous auricular (ear) neurostimulation (tAN) device. This means that it uses electrical pulses to stimulate branches of nerves on and/or around the ear, specifically the "vagus" and "trigeminal" nerves. These nerves are also responsible for your sensation of nausea and your heart rate (vagus nerve), as well as headaches (trigeminal nerve). The Sparrow System utilizes a flexible earpiece with embedded hydrogel electrodes that stick to the skin, the earpiece is disposable after use. This device is already Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in humans and is safely used for control of symptoms in a variety of other medical conditions, such as opioid withdrawal and acute stress reaction. In this study, we will determine if the Sparrow Ascent System™ impacts the development of spatial disorientation or motion sickness.

Being studied: Transcutaneous Auricular Neurostimulation device

Conditions: Motion Sickness

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria
  • Inclusion Criteria:
  • Healthy males and non-pregnant females between the ages of 18-50 who do not experience symptoms of motion sickness.
  • Participants who are English speaking.
  • Participants who are able to read and understand study procedures in order to provide informed consent.
  • Exclusion Criteria:
  • Females who are pregnant
  • Cardiac pathology (congestive heart failure, history of myocardial infarction, cardiac stent placement, pacemaker placement, heart surgery)
  • Hypertension requiring daily medication
  • Active vestibular disease to include Meniere's disease, migraine associated vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis
  • Neck pain or spinal pathology
  • Medications impacting cardiac, vestibular, or neurologic function
  • Recently ill or hospitalized within 30 days
  • Pilots and individuals formally desensitized to motion sickness
  • Use of vestibular suppressing medications or drugs within 24 hours of the study (antihistamines, histamine-1 receptor agonists, benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, dopamine receptor agonists, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, opiates)
  • Participant has a history of epileptic seizures
  • Participant has a history of neurological diseases or traumatic brain injury
  • Abnormal vital signs obtained during pre-experimentation phase:
  • Heart Rate >100 or \<50
  • Systolic blood pressure >150 or \<90
  • Respiratory rate >24 or \<8 13. Participant has presence of devices, e.g., pacemakers, cochlear prosthesis, neurostimulators 14. Participant has abnormal ear anatomy or ear infection present 15. Participant has any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participants at risk because of participation in the trial, or may influence the result of the trial, or the participant's ability to participate in the trial

Recruiting US locations

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Isaac D Erbele, MD, ENT · 210-916-2985 · isaac.d.erbele.mil@health.mil
  • Craig D Nowadly, MD · 757-784-1175 · craig.d.nowadly.mil@health.mil
All healthy volunteers studies in Texas →
Evaluation of a Device to Reduce Motion Sickness and Spatial… (NCT06892340) | Bored Studies