A non-invasive headband that quiets the inner ear - no drugs, no surgery, no waiting for the room to stop spinning.
Vertigo is not a headache. It is the floor betraying you - a spinning, stomach-turning failure of balance that, for roughly 11.6 million Americans, arrives without warning and refuses to leave. The usual response is a prescription and a shrug.
Otolith Labs asked a harder question: what if the inner ear does not need a drug, but a different signal? The Washington, D.C. company - named for the otolith organs, the tiny calcium-carbonate sensors that let your inner ear feel gravity and acceleration - is building the first medical wearable designed to treat vertigo directly at its source.
The device is a head-worn band. A patient places it on the head and switches it on. Inside, the company's patented technology uses bone conduction to deliver a precisely tuned vibration into the vestibular system. That narrow band of mechanical stimulation is meant to reach the inner ear's acceleration sensors and mask the faulty balance signals they are firing at the brain. In plain terms: it works a little like noise-cancelling headphones, but for balance.
Founder Sam Owen started the company in 2015 after identifying that narrow range of signals. What followed was the slow, unglamorous work of medtech: a first clinical study in 2016, a technology validation from Jaguar Land Rover in 2018 for motion sickness, wins at CES and NASA's iTech competition in 2020, and - the moment that changed the trajectory - an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2021.
The company now runs on a simple thesis. If dizziness is a broken conversation between the inner ear and the brain, you fix the conversation, not the chemistry. That contrarian bet is what makes Otolith Labs worth watching.
The patient places the non-invasive band on the head - no surgery, no fitting.
Bone conduction delivers a precise, calibrated waveform toward the inner ear.
The signal reaches the vestibular sensors and suppresses the faulty balance cues.
The brain stops receiving the false "spinning" signal, easing vertigo symptoms.
Graphic: The nVRT (non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy) pathway, as described by Otolith Labs. Approximate, illustrative.
"Otolith Labs is pioneering the first medical wearable for the treatment of vertigo, a symptom experienced by more than 15 million Americans."
A head-worn, non-invasive wearable a patient activates to relieve chronic vertigo. Now on its 5th-generation prototype, developed alongside patients, scientists and clinicians, and moving toward FDA clearance.
Non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy - patented bone-conduction waveforms that mask the inner ear's faulty balance signals. Also described as non-invasive Vestibular System Masking.
The same inner-ear approach targets car sickness and VR/cybersickness. A 2025 peer-reviewed study reported reductions in cybersickness from virtual reality.
Breakthrough Device Designation (2021) accelerates the FDA review; the company pursues clearance via the De Novo pathway under an ISO 13485-certified quality system.
Who its customers are. Otolith is built for patients with chronic vertigo and vestibular disorders, reached through otolaryngologists, neurologists, audiologists and vestibular physical therapists. Adjacent users include people with motion sickness and VR sickness, with documented interest from automotive and defense sectors.
The problem it solves. Dizziness and vertigo are among the most common reasons adults visit the doctor, yet mainstream options are limited to sedating medications and rehabilitation exercises. Otolith offers a non-pharmacological, on-demand alternative aimed at rapid relief.
How it is different. Most of the field chases a better pill or a therapy protocol. Otolith built hardware that addresses the mechanical signal itself. Its competitive moat is a set of patents on both the therapeutic signal range and the wearable design, plus a growing clinical record.
The alternatives. For clinical vertigo, that means drugs like meclizine and vestibular rehabilitation therapy. For motion and VR sickness, it means nausea wearables such as Reliefband and software-based cybersickness fixes. Otolith's bet is that a validated, prescription-grade device can define a new lane between them.
Otolith Labs operates as a prescription medical-device business: a clinically validated wearable prescribed by clinicians, with revenue expected from device sales and clinical partnerships after FDA clearance. It has raised roughly $25.7M to date.
Chart: Cumulative disclosed funding. Earlier-round total is approximate (total funding ~$25.7M).
Founded Otolith Labs in 2015 after identifying the vibration signals that interact with the inner ear; long the company's public face and now a board member.
Leads the company's strategy and commercialization; brings a long track record of bringing medical devices to market.
Chief Technology Officer, responsible for the engineering of the wearable device across its prototype generations.
Chief Science Officer, guiding the neuroscience behind the vestibular resonance approach.
Also on the team: Kevin Franck, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Clinical Officer (2024), and board member Raphael Michel.
Sam Owen starts the company in Washington, D.C. after finding a narrow band of vibration that interacts with the inner ear.
The vestibular resonance approach gets its first clinical test.
The automaker validates the technology for potential motion-sickness treatment.
Wins the NASA iTech competition and the CES "Ignite the Night" pitch; introduces the OtoBand.
Receives Breakthrough Device Designation on June 24, accelerating its regulatory path.
Closes a Series A led by Morningside Ventures to fund clinical programs and commercial launch.
Adds a Chief Clinical Officer, commercial leadership and a new board member.
Publishes research showing the technology reduces cybersickness from virtual reality.
It develops a non-invasive, head-worn wearable medical device that treats vertigo, motion sickness and VR sickness by delivering precisely tuned vibrations to the inner ear's balance sensors.
Its patented nVRT (non-invasive Vestibular Resonance Therapy) uses bone conduction to send a narrow band of mechanical vibration to the vestibular system, masking the faulty balance signals that cause dizziness - somewhat like noise-cancelling for the inner ear.
It holds an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation (granted June 2021) and is pursuing marketing clearance through the FDA De Novo pathway as a novel prescription device. It is not yet cleared for sale.
Roughly $25.7 million to date, including a $20 million Series A led by Morningside Ventures announced in September 2022.
Otolith Labs is based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2015 by Sam Owen, with co-founders Jon Akers (CTO) and Didier Depireux (CSO); Dan Wagner leads the company as Chief Executive Officer.
Sources: Otolith Labs, Business Wire, Fierce Biotech, MassDevice, MobiHealthNews, Crunchbase. Figures marked approximate where noted.