CUE1+ Panel Review

Charco Neurotech was born out of a student project in 2014 for the innovation design engineering course at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.. Then-student Lucy Jung created designs for a device that used vibration stimulation to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s, an idea first suggested by a 19th century French physician Jean-Martin Charcot. In 2019 Lucy and her business partner Floyd Pierres, founded Charco Neurotech with the aim of developing a wearable product to help people living with Parkinson’s.

In 2021, the Cambridge-based company launched the CUE1. In 2024, a newer version was later renamed CUE1+. It’s a non-invasive device that sticks to someone’s chest which they claim can improve some motor symptoms of Parkinson’s.

It is designed to do this by combining a series of vibrations (“focused vibrotactile stimulation”) and cueing. The device makes vibrational cueing signals that can help initiate and sustain rhythmic walking. Its electric motor can also produce a special pattern of vibration that may alleviate symptoms such as bradykinesia (slowness in movement), rigidity (stiffness), balance problems, falls and freezing of gait.

Andrew Mullen, CEO of Charco Neurotech since 2024, told Tech Guide: “Our goal is to make the device as accessible to as many people with Parkinson’s as possible.”

We had 1 reviewer in our team who has had deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment. They were unsure whether it was safe to use the CUE1+ (Charco warns that there may be an issue) and really struggled to find out.

“The problem I encountered was ensuring the compatibility between the device and the DBS device I have,” explained the reviewer, who has had Parkinson’s for 14 years after being diagnosed at 46 years old.

“I tried to contact the manufacturer and the DBS nurse with little success.” They also contacted Charco Neurotech but the company just said that customers should consult the DBS device manufacturer.

Understandably, the reviewer was frustrated by the lack of information. “I feel this is something that needs to be clarified between the 2 companies rather than the patient doing it as an individual. With the increasing use of DBS it is likely that will be an ongoing issue.”

Because the reviewer wasn’t able to get a definitive answer, they decided to stop using the CUE1+. During the few occasions that they did wear it, they did not see “any improvement” in their symptoms.

Charco Neurotech is apparently investigating the device’s compatibility with DBS. If you are unsure about using the CUE1+ device in any way, please consult your clinician.

Set up

To use the CUE1+, the device must be fully charged. To turn it on and activate the vibration, you press the large central button once. To deactivate it, you press the same central button again.

Most of the review panel found setting up the CUE1+ to be “very simple” or at least “fairly easy”. All the reviewers found the instructions “very clear” and liked the “easy to follow” diagrams.

However, 3 reviewers commented on the size of the text. For example: “The instruction booklet was fairly small which meant that the print was also quite small. I managed OK but I suspect other users may need help to read them.”

2 reviewers particularly liked the “sleek” and “modern” design of the device.

Daily use

The device

The CUE1+ is slim and circular, and delivers a mild pattern of vibration when turned on (Charco Neurotech refer to this as “vibrotactile stimulation”).

“It was easy to turn on and off and the vibrotactile output was felt immediately,” one reviewer told us.

A reviewer whose main symptoms include tremor and anxiety said they found it difficult to get used to the sound of the vibration. “The pulsating vibration and buzzing sound that it made was always noticeable to me in quiet environments and I felt that it was difficult to ignore it. In quiet environments other people could hear it too so I ended up turning it off when other people nearby commented about the noise it made…. In other environments such as being outside I was able to forget that I was wearing it.”

Some reviewers were not as bothered by the buzzing sound. “It was easy to integrate into my daily life”, one said.

The device can be worn anywhere on the body but it is recommended to place it on the sternum (breastbone). All our reviewers tried the CUE1+ on their sternum and one of them also tried it on their forearm.

The body placement of the device was a particular concern for all of the female reviewers who felt “self conscious” wearing something on their chest and that it limited their clothing choices.

“I was conscious of having something on my chest for several days, and had to think about what I was wearing to avoid any questions,” said a reviewer whose main symptom concerns are tremor, anxiety and leg dragging. She added: “I was aware of not wanting to draw any more attention to myself so I had to think about how it would fit into my daily outfits.”

Another reviewer had to buy a new style bra so she could wear the device more comfortably. “I had a problem finding a place on my sternum that was low enough for it not to show as my bra pushed my breasts together. I bought a new bra which separates the breasts and was able to place the device lower down.”

Adhesives

The CUE1+ device is attached to your body with an adhesive patch. A set of waterproof, medical-grade patches come with the device. It’s recommended to wear each sticky patch for around 2 weeks before replacing it. All our reviewers used their devices with the patches. The company does offer a strap as an alternative to the adhesives at an additional cost.

Charco Neurotech recommends using a mirror to place the patch in the correct area (the flattest part of the breastbone).

1 reviewer was “was concerned that the device would fall off” their chest but was “pleasantly surprised” by the strength of the stickers.

However, a different reviewer did have problems with the device falling off, but they think it was because they had not fixed it on properly: “It fell off a couple of times because I hadn’t put it on properly in front of a mirror. It’s very strong though. It bounced well when it fell off!”

Another reviewer found applying the patch difficult at first: “Sticking the adhesive patch to my skin was a little fiddly but after doing it once, it’s easy now.”

The company recommends removing any excess hair to ensure that the adhesive attaches well.

“I needed help with shaving the chest and applying the sticker”, said 1 reviewer, who was diagnosed 8 years ago.

2 reviewers experienced issues with the adhesive patches. 1 said they had to replace the patches sooner than expected.

“I had a problem with the plasters not lasting 2 weeks and making my skin feel irritated after a few days. They didn’t last as long as recommended, but it was very warm weather and I do get menopausal sweats.”

Skin irritation was a problem for another reviewer who said the sticky patches became “very uncomfortable.”

“I got itchy skin under the sticker which got inflamed and sore. When I removed it, it had left a sticky residue that was difficult to clean, making the area sore.”

The CUE app

The device can be used by itself, but you can get more out of it by pairing it with the CUE app. (You can download it for free through your smartphone’s app shop.) By connecting your CUE1+ to the app wirelessly via Bluetooth, you can customise the vibration settings including the intensity of the pulse vibrations, pulse length and rest length.

One reviewer said they “would like to see settings on the unit itself where the power can be adjusted,” rather than having to download and use the app.

The app offers additional features, including medication reminders, symptom tracking and games. The app can be used with or without the CUE1+ device connected.

You can also read Charco Neurotech blog articles through the app and get access to additional Parkinson’s support and information from reputable external sources including Parkinson’s UK, Parkinson’s Europe, Reach Your Peak and the Davis Phinney Foundation.

The app was described as “easy to use” and “intuitive” by a 63-year-old reviewer but other reviewers found it unclear.

“Setting up the app took ages. My ‘techy’ husband had to help me. We won in the end but without help I couldn’t have done it.”

2 reviewers had a similar issue with their medication reminders. Despite setting the alerts for a specific time, no notification came through on their phone. One of these reviewers said they contacted the customer support team about it but did not receive a reply.

Of the 7 reviewers, only 2 found the CUE1+ helped alleviate some of their Parkinson’s symptoms.

One reviewer, who used the product both at home in the UK and while on holiday in East Africa found their rigidity improved when wearing the device on their arm.

The other reviewer said the device had a “calming effect by reducing my dyskinesia.” We got back in touch with this reviewer several weeks after their review period to find out if it was still helping. “The CUE1+ is still going strong. I believe that it’s helped my symptoms. I certainly notice when I’m not wearing it.”

The CUE1+ has been a hot topic within the Parkinson’s community since it launched so, of course, our review panel were very keen to try out the new technology. Read posts about the CUE1+ on the Parkinson’s UK forum.

A reviewer commented: “I have watched quite a few videos on how this has improved the lives of people with Parkinson’s. It did not meet my expectations. I think I was expecting more…I was very excited to be able to try this to help with my symptoms and, although it was not the silver bullet I was hoping for, this may prove to be of more help as my disease progresses.”

Another reviewer told us: “Unfortunately, I feel that the CUE1+ did not improve my Parkinson’s symptoms. When I first started to use it I thought that there were some minor improvements but perhaps this was some sort of placebo effect. Having read up about it, I’m sure that it is effective for some people, it’s just that I’m not one of them.”

Our reviewers tried out the newest version, the CUE1+, which launched in the summer of 2024 and costs £795 (plus VAT). The first version of the device, the CUE1, cost £295 (plus VAT). The basic functionality of both devices is the same, but the CUE1+ has an improved motor, giving it a longer lifespan.

To buy a CUE1+, you must join a waiting list. However, Charco Neurotech claims that customers will soon be able to buy the CUE1+ directly from the website.

Most of our review panel felt the device was too expensive, especially those who didn’t find it helped with any of their symptoms. “It is very expensive for no relief of my symptoms,” said a reviewer. Another added: “If it significantly improved by Parkinson’s symptoms then I would say that it’s worth the high price. But for me, if I purchased it, then I would return it for a refund.”

One of the reviewers who had success with the CUE1+ commented: “It works, it’s worth the price and I would definitely recommend it.”

The company offers payment instalment plans and will offer a refund for devices returned within 6 months of receiving it.

There is an ongoing cost once you have the CUE1+ as you will need to replace the adhesive patches every couple of weeks. A pack of 6 body adhesive stickers cost £15 and these should last around 2 weeks each (or 3 months for the pack). A pack of 3 device-side adhesive stickers cost £5 and should be replaced every few months.

2 reviewers pointed out that they were worried about the extra cost of purchasing replacement stickers: “It’s a lot of money to spend on the device and then you still have to pay more on top. I would be concerned by the ongoing costs of the pads.”

For those concerned by the extra cost or worried about skin irritation, the strap alternative costs £39.50 (plus VAT).