People with epilepsy suffer from recurrent, unprovoked seizures that can cause injury and even death from “Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy” (SUDEP), a condition that occurs minutes after a seizure ends.
According to the World Health Organization www.who.int, roughly 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy. CDC estimates that about one in every 1,000 people with epilepsy die annually from SUDEP, a possible result of suffocation from impaired breathing, fluid in the lungs or seizing while sleeping face down.
The company Empatica www.empatica.com, co-founded by MIT http://web.mit.edu professor and wearables pioneer Rosalind Picard, has developed a medical-quality consumer wristband called “Embrace” or referred to as the E4 wristband. The device is able to monitor stress signals to detect potentially deadly seizures and alert wearers and caregivers. An app on the E4 wristband lets the wearer and others monitor when the person might be having a grand mal seizure.
When the wristband detects a seizure, it vibrates and the wearer can respond. If the wearer becomes unconscious, and doesn’t respond quickly, the app sends an alert to a designated individual.
The E-4 wristband can also be used by teachers and parents that may want to monitor the stress levels of a child with emotion regulation issues or autism. The device may determine if a child is experiencing a “fight-or-flight response,” and can be set to vibrate to alert parents or teachers. It can also be used to study other neurological conditions, phobias, and PTSD.