Sonu Is Turning Sound Therapy Into The Next Wave Of Wearable Wellness

Forbes

7 days ago

The Sons Band uses personalized sound waves to relieve congestion. Sonu
There's nothing pretty about allergies, and the Sonu wearable aims to fix that.
Puffy eyes. A red, runny nose. Scratchy throat. And that's nothing compared to the sinus pressure, brain fog, and relentless congestion that turns everyday tasks into uphill climbs. For many, over-the-counter meds only pile on side effects: drowsiness, rebound symptoms, or risky drug interactions. Suddenly, the cure can feel as miserable as the cause.
But what if relief came from something far simpler? Like sound?
The SONU Band, a headband-style device from medical tech startup SoundHealth uses personalized sound wave stimulation to clear nasal congestion in minutes. First cleared for adults, it recently received FDA de novo approval for kids as young as 12, positioning it as a lifestyle-friendly alternative to pills, sprays, and steroids.
'Nasal congestion and allergies don't have to be life-altering,' said SoundHealth Founder and CEO Dr. Paramesh Gopi. 'We're thrilled to now be able to offer relief to children … and continue working to help people breathe better.' Sonu: The Wearable That Clears Sinuses, Monitors Breathing, and Forecasts Allergies
At the core of Sonu's design is a process called Acoustic Resonance Therapy (ART), which uses sound waves to stimulate the sinuses at their natural, or resonant , frequency.
Sonu's steroid-free approach to allergy relief is a game changer for children and their parents. Sonu by Soundhealth
Consider a wine glass. When tapped, it makes a specific sound. That pitch is its resonant frequency. If you play that same pitch loudly nearby, the glass may start to vibrate or even shatter because the sound waves are matching its natural frequency and transferring energy efficiently.
The Sonu Band applies this principle to a person's sinuses, but instead of shattered glass, the user is left with a clear nasal passage. Here's how it works:
After a quick facial scan in the companion app, AI models the user's unique sinus anatomy to calculate their resonant frequencies. The device, worn across the forehead, then delivers targeted acoustic vibrations that work with the body, not against it.
After a facial scan in the companion app, AI models the user's unique sinus anatomy and calculates its resonant frequencies. The band, worn across the forehead, then delivers targeted acoustic vibrations via bone conduction, gently vibrating the sinus cavities to loosen mucus, reduce swelling, and clear congestion – no meds required.
The device pairs with a smartphone app powering additional features, such as a predictor of potential flare-ups based on live environmental factors.
SONUCheck uses a short voice recording to measure nasal patency (how open the user's airways are) based on vocal biomarkers tied to airflow. Over time, both tools adapt to the user, offering real-time symptom tracking. Sonu
'Nasal breathing is core to energy, focus, sleep, and even facial aesthetics,' explains Dr. Gopi. ' Sonu empowers people to take control of that with just a few minutes a day.'
Over time, both tools adapt to the user, offering a low-effort, personalized view of what's driving congestion and how to stay ahead of it – especially valuable for people with chronic nasal issues, as well as athletes, vocalists, or anyone who relies on clear nasal breathing for performance. Meet the doctors behind Soundhealth and Sonu
SoundHealth emerged from Dr. Gopi's own struggle with chronic allergies – and a question shared by more than 80 million Americans: Why haven't we fixed this yet?
A veteran engineer and serial tech founder, Gopi spent years rotating through antihistamines and steroid sprays, frustrated by diminishing returns and mounting side effects. He started looking for drug-free solutions. But outside of nasal flushes, acupuncture, and anti-inflammatory diets, there were few options and almost no recent innovation.
Dr. Gopi and cofounders, Stanford Physicians Peter Hwang and Bryant Lin, are excited to bring the world's first FDA De Novo approved AI wearable for allergy relief to market. Sonu
Gopi bootstrapped SoundHealth through its early development before partnering with Stanford physicians Dr. Peter H. Hwang and Dr. Bryant T. Lin. Dr. Hwang, an internationally recognized rhinologist and sinus surgeon, serves as Stanford's Vice Chair of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Lin, a clinician, researcher, and founder of rhinitis treatment leader Arrinex, brings deep experience at the intersection of medicine and innovation. Together, the team spent four years developing the first FDA-cleared wearable for allergic rhinitis – powered not by pharmaceuticals, but by physics.
Because ART wasn't yet recognized as a medical therapy, and no similar consumer device existed, the SoundHealth team had to validate both the science and the product. 'When we first submitted our early single-arm clinical trial results to the FDA, they pushed back quite heavily,' said Gopi. 'They had no framework to judge our technology.'
So they built one.
The company assembled a full stack, cross-disciplinary R&D team spanning acoustic physics, sinus anatomy, and AI. They conducted cadaver and live-subject CT studies to confirm that the app's modeling of sinus structures could match medical-grade imaging. According to Gopi, their FDA submission followed 'a pharma-grade process,' including an active sham control, multiple geographic trial sites, and an ethnographically balanced patient pool to account for facial structure diversity.
The company's data was then benchmarked against 14 leading allergy medications across 54 placebo-controlled studies with over 14,000 participants. The result? Sonu matched or outperformed conventional treatments, with no reported side effects.
Interest has followed. SoundHealth has raised $7 million in seed funding, according to BusinessWire . Independent reviews have been promising, too: A Massachusetts General Hospital study found ART to be 'safe and effective' for nasal congestion, and a pilot published in the National Library of Medicine reported 'significant improvement' in acute symptoms compared to placebo.
Since its commercial debut, SoundHealth says they've sold over 5,000 bands and is expanding its reach across both clinical and consumer settings. In addition to medspas and hospitals, adoption has grown in VA clinics, where doctors are using it to help combat veterans manage chronic congestion without triggering medication conflicts.
'Many of these patients are on medications for heart conditions or mental health,' said Gopi. 'Sonu gives them a safe, drug-free alternative.'
And as concerns rise around the long-term use of allergy drugs – particularly among children, older adults, and those with complex health profiles – SoundHealth is gaining traction as a credible, tech-forward alternative. At $299, the device is FSA/HSA eligible and supports up to four personalized user profiles.
With clinical validation, regulatory clearance, and early adoption in both hospitals and wellness programs, the Sonu Band is redefining what a modern respiratory solution can look like: non-invasive, personalized, and rooted in real science.
'We're not just treating congestion,' said Dr. Gopi. 'We're building a new standard for respiratory care.'