Restoring steadiness to those living with essential tremor
March 31, 2026 — Imagine struggling to lift a glass of water or button a shirt because your hands won’t stop shaking. For millions living with movement disorders such as essential tremor, this is daily life.
Now, a University of Minnesota spinoff company, Fasikl, has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a simple yet high-tech wristband—the world’s first and only approved AI therapeutic—providing relief without drugs or surgery.
Fasikl was founded on the multidisciplinary research of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Zhi Yang and his lifelong passion for video games. What began as curiosity and imagination grew into an entrepreneurial vision. He often reminds his team of a simple principle: science must serve people and make their lives better.
The Felix™ NeuroAI™ Wristband integrates cutting-edge artificial intelligence with a smart-watch-looking neuromedical device to treat essential tremor. It has undergone three stages of clinical studies, including a pivotal, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled multi-site trial, in which the treatment group showed clear superiority over placebo. Few medical devices are tested to such rigorous standards.
Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, Fasikl has licensed a total of five University of Minnesota inventions and sponsored multiple campus research projects. These include Yang’s breakthrough that enables people to play video games without a keyboard or mouse—a natural passion for a lifelong StarCraft fan.
Fasikl has raised over $60 million to accelerate its research and commercialization efforts. Its ongoing phase I rollout over the first 6 months is centered in Minnesota. The company’s mission is to advance “type II artificial intelligence,” in which the brain and machine co-adapt to create therapies that are more effective, safe, and reliable. Fasikl is introducing AI to heal and to improve people’s lives.
