VESTRA

Inspiration

We were inspired by the challenges people with balance and vestibular disorders can face in their everyday lives. Activities that many people take for granted, such as walking, turning their head, or navigating a busy environment, can be difficult for someone experiencing dizziness or balance-related symptoms.

We wanted to explore how wearable technology could help make support more personalized, accessible, and discreet. This led us to the Vestara prototype, a concept for a wearable device that attaches to the back of the neck and uses targeted vibration as part of a personalized balance-support approach. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all solution, we envisioned a system that could take an individual's rehabilitation plan, reported symptoms, and relevant context into account when making decisions.

What it does

We developed a prototype concept for Vestara that combines a discreet, skin-attached wearable with a companion app. The wearable is envisioned as a small device placed at the nape of the neck, designed to be less intrusive than a bulky neckband.

The companion app, Vestara, is designed to help users understand how the system makes decisions. It includes a dashboard, a decision log explaining why a vibration was or was not triggered, and a personal context section where users can review relevant rehabilitation information and reported symptoms.

An important part of our design is transparency. We want users to be able to see what the system detected, what action it took, what information influenced that decision, and what is still uncertain. The goal is to explore a more understandable and personalized wearable experience, rather than making decisions that feel like a black box.

How we built it

We approached the project from both a hardware and software perspective. We explored the physical form of a small adhesive neck-worn device and developed visual concepts to communicate how it might look and fit in everyday life.

Alongside the hardware concept, we designed the Vestara app interface around a calm, accessible visual style. We created screens for the home dashboard, decision details, and personal context to demonstrate how a user could review system activity and understand the reasoning behind individual decisions.

We focused on making the experience feel simple and approachable while still communicating meaningful information. Instead of displaying only a notification, the interface is designed to explain the reasoning behind a decision and distinguish available context from information that may still be missing.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was balancing a minimal, unobtrusive wearable design with the need to communicate a potentially complex decision-making process. We wanted the device to feel natural to wear while ensuring that users could still understand its behavior.

Another challenge was designing an interface that presents personal health-related context responsibly. We had to consider how to explain decisions without overstating confidence or suggesting that the system can diagnose, prevent, or treat a medical condition.

Because Vestara is currently a prototype concept, validating the vibration approach, determining safe and appropriate stimulation parameters, and evaluating real-world performance remain important next steps. Our current work focuses on communicating the concept and demonstrating how the wearable and companion app could fit together.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Vestara protype was inspired by the challenges people with vestibular and balance disorders face daily. We designed a concept for a discreet, adhesive neck device using targeted vibration, paired with Vestara, a companion app that explains system decisions through a dashboard, decision log, and personal context features. We’re proud of bringing the wearable concept and app together into a cohesive vision focused on transparency, accessibility, and user trust. Our biggest challenge was balancing a simple design with personalized decision-making. Through this project, we learned the importance of thoughtful design and responsible health technology. Next, we hope to build functional hardware, test usability, and evaluate safety with qualified professionals.

What we learned

This project taught us that designing a wearable for a health-related use case involves more than creating a device that looks comfortable or a feature that seems useful. Trust, usability, personalization, and transparency are equally important.

We learned that a system should communicate not only what it does, but also why it does it and where its limitations are. For example, the absence of a reported symptom does not necessarily mean a user experienced no symptoms, and a pattern in historical data does not automatically establish causation. These distinctions influenced our emphasis on clear decision explanations and user-provided context.

We also learned how important it is to design the hardware and software together. The physical device needs to be discreet and comfortable, while the app needs to help users understand and manage the experience.

What's next for Vestara

Our next steps would be to develop and test a functional hardware prototype, evaluate its comfort and reliability, and work with qualified vestibular and rehabilitation professionals to assess whether the proposed approach is appropriate and safe. We would also explore usability testing to learn whether the decision log and personal context features help users better understand the system.

Ultimately, our vision for Vestara is to explore how thoughtful wearable design and transparent software could contribute to more personalized support for people navigating balance-related challenges.