'Emma' Prototype IoT Watch Helps People with Parkinson's Write Again

Haiyan Zhang, innovation director at Microsoft Research Cambridge in England, developed a prototype watch that helps people suffering from Parkinson's disease, the degenerative nerve disorder that affects over 10 million people worldwide. Zhang worked on the watch for Emma Lawton, a friend and graphic designer with Parkinson's. The watch, called 'Emma,' is designed to reduce uncontrollable shaking, an early symptom of Parkinson's. Small vibration motors inside the wearable stop the brain from creating as many tremors. In this video, Emma Lawton shows how the wearable stabilizes her hand, letting her draw for the first time in years. A Windows 10 app allows Lawton to change the rhythm of vibrations.