Abstract: Various aspects include wearable devices and related approaches for stimulating nerves proximate a user's ear, e.g., providing one or more health benefits. In some particular aspects, a wearable device for providing vibrotactile stimulus to at least one nerve proximate an ear of a user includes: an earpiece having a vibration device for application of vibrotactile stimulus proximate at least one of a concha region or an ear canal of the user; and a controller connected with the vibration device, the controller configured to actuate the vibration device according to a modulated pattern to stimulate at least one nerve proximate the ear of the user, where the modulated pattern is characterized by: a peak drive level sufficient to stimulate nerve endings of at least one nerve proximate the ear of the user; and a carrier frequency of approximately 50 Hertz (Hz) to approximately 500 Hz.

Abstract: Various aspects include approaches for managing tinnitus in a user. In some particular aspects, a computer-implemented method of managing tinnitus of a user with at least one wearable device includes: actuating, according to a prescribed pattern and using the at least one wearable device: a) an electro-acoustic transducer to provide an audio output to the user, and b) a contact element to apply vibration to a body part of the user, where the prescribed pattern both stimulates the nervous system of the user and delivers a sound to the user, which together mitigate the tinnitus.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for non-linear breathing entrainment. As described herein, “breathing entrainment” refers to guiding a user's breath or breathing. According to an aspect, an initial breathing period and a final breathing period are selected. Based on the initial and final breathing periods, a non-linear breath rate per minute sequence is determined. A guiding stimulus is output and aligned with the non-linear breath rate per minute sequence. The guiding stimulus is non-linearly altered with the non-linear breath rate per minute sequence to align with the final breathing period over an interval of time. The non-linear alterations of the guiding stimulus vary based on an amount of time the guiding stimulus has been output.

Abstract: A fitting system for an earpiece that comprises a support structure that is configured to contact at least one of the ear canal or the concha of an ear of a user, including at least first and second spaced electrodes that are each configured to contact the user's skin, circuitry that is configured to determine an impedance between the first and second electrodes, and a controller, responsive to the determined impedance, for causing the earpiece support structure to move.

Abstract: Various implementations include wearable devices and methods for managing respiration and user health. In some particular implementations, a wearable device includes: a mount sized to couple with a body part of a user; and a housing coupled with the mount. The housing at least partially contains: a contact element for applying pressure to the body part; and an actuator coupled with the contact element, the actuator configured to actuate the contact element in applying pressure to the body part according to a prescribed pattern. The prescribed pattern includes at least two repetitions, each repetition having: a first segment at a progressively increasing pressure; a second segment at a substantially constant pressure, following the first segment; a third segment at a progressively decreasing pressure, following the second segment; and a fourth segment at a substantially constant pressure that is less than the substantially constant pressure of the second segment.

Abstract: Various aspects include approaches for managing tinnitus in a user. In some particular aspects, a computer-implemented method of managing tinnitus of a user with at least one wearable device includes: actuating, according to a prescribed pattern and using the at least one wearable device: a) an electro-acoustic transducer to provide an audio output to the user, and b) a contact element to apply vibration to a body part of the user, where the prescribed pattern both stimulates the nervous system of the user and delivers a sound to the user, which together mitigate the tinnitus.

Abstract: Various implementations include wearable devices and methods for managing respiration and user health. In some particular implementations, a wearable device includes: a mount sized to couple with a body part of a user; and a housing coupled with the mount. The housing at least partially contains: a contact element for applying pressure to the body part; and an actuator coupled with the contact element, the actuator configured to actuate the contact element in applying pressure to the body part according to a prescribed pattern. The prescribed pattern includes at least two repetitions, each repetition having: a first segment at a progressively increasing pressure; a second segment at a substantially constant pressure, following the first segment; a third segment at a progressively decreasing pressure, following the second segment; and a fourth segment at a substantially constant pressure that is less than the substantially constant pressure of the second segment.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for non-linear breathing entrainment. As described herein, “breathing entrainment” refers to guiding a user's breath or breathing. According to an aspect, an initial breathing period and a final breathing period are selected. Based on the initial and final breathing periods, a non-linear breath rate per minute sequence is determined. A guiding stimulus is output and aligned with the non-linear breath rate per minute sequence. The guiding stimulus is non-linearly altered with the non-linear breath rate per minute sequence to align with the final breathing period over an interval of time. The non-linear alterations of the guiding stimulus vary based on an amount of time the guiding stimulus has been output.

Abstract: In a contention-based network, a station, whose transmission is colliding with the transmission of another station and which heretofore would have transmitted a data packet immediately following its colliding transmission—as, for example, in a blackburst contention—suspends transmission immediately upon termination of the collision and, if necessary, at a particular point(s) in time during the collision. The station recommences transmission after a predetermined non-zero duration of time, or “time notch”, during which the medium is idle. In particular, a station that has won a blackburst contention separates its blackburst signal from its subsequent data transmission by a certain amount of time during which the medium is idle. Moreover, a station participating in a blackburst contention may cause the occurrence of a time notch at particular points in time during the contention in order that its access priority vis-a-vis other stations be determined.

Abstract: A system and method for managing time and expense when communicating between a host and multiple network connections. A server program, inserted between an information requesting device and the network connections, reconfigures the information requesting device forcing the information requesting device to pass all requests through the server program. The server program then determines what type of network is being connected. Additionally, the server program makes costs visible to the user, warns the user when pre-specified budgets are exceeded, postpones actions to a later time when conditions are met, and automatically adapts user customization and system configuration values to the changing conditions of use. This allows asynchronous style browsing in which users can work disconnected from a cache of documents or trade off communication cost against information needs.

Abstract: A adapter for wireless networking provides for reconfigerable media access control and data packet formats. The flexible adapter comprises a modem interface for controlling an RF modem for transmitting data signals to and receiving data signals from another RF modem; a media access control circuit; and a computer system interface circuit. The computer system interface circuit provides an interface between a host computer system, the modem interface circuit and the media access control circuit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a variable bitrate radio modem unit that includes a transmit section and a receive section that are linked through a host computer. In the transmit section, the host computer is connected to a data modulator equipped with a variable bitrate data generator which in turn is connected to a radio transmit modem. In the receive section, a radio receive modem is connected to a clock/data recovery circuit which in turn is connected to an error detection and correction circuit. The error detection and correction circuit is then connected to the host computer. A connection is established at a predetermined bitrate between two host computers of two individual radio modem units. While data is being transmitted back and forth, the error rate of the data being received is determined by the error detection circuit. If the error rate is larger than a predetermined rate, the bitrate of the radio transmit modem of the transmitting unit is reduced.

Abstract: A system for delivering packetized data in a network dynamically assigns a unique address to a mobile unit, allocates bandwidth within a wireless link by a token scheme and provides forward error correction for the packet. The system wirelessly transports the packets between a base station and an end point which is responsive to a link cell for linking the base station and the end point. The link cell contains a header and a body. The header in turn contains a forward error correction code, a radioport id and a token. The forward error correction code provides error detection and error correction that relies solely on a one-way communication of data bits from a sender to a receiver. The radioport id is a logical id assigned such that each radio-port in a vicinity has a unique id. The token enables the wireless transportation over a selected channel of the packets between the base station and the end point. The token is utilized to allocate the selected channel from a plurality of channels.

Abstract: Fueled by higher clock rates and superscalar technologies, growth in processor speed continues to outpace improvement in memory system performance. Reflecting this trend, architects are developing increasingly complex memory hierarchies to mask the speed gap, compiler writers are adding locality enhancing transformations to better utilize complex memory hierarchies, and applications programmers are re-coding their algorithms to exploit memory systems. All of these groups need empirical data on memory behavior to guide their optimizations. This paper describes how to combine simple hardware support and sampling techniques to obtain such data without appreciably perturbing system performance.