While brain monitoring using EEG is not a new technique, advancements in technology may allow it to be used for detecting a variety of conditions that are currently hard to diagnose. Samsung is continuing to show evidence that it’s serious about getting a major foothold in the medical field with the announcement that it’s been working on a wearable EEG headset that can be used by patients themselves to detect signs of stroke as well as for regular monitoring to gauge stress levels, analyze sleep, and other brain health parameters that are often not measured quantitatively.
The Early Detection Sensor & Algorithm Package (EDSAP) will pair up with a user’s smartphone or tablet to display the results of the ECG tests, which can be done within about a minute. The company says that its sensors are able to pickup a much higher quality signal than current EEG headsets thanks to newly developed dry electrodes made of a novel material discovered by the group. The material is rubbery in feel, is highly conductive, and doesn’t require a gel or saline solution to be applied to make a good electrical connection with the scalp.
On the software side, Samsung’s team developed an algorithm that compares a particular EEG scan against a previous analysis of a bunch of stroke patient EEG scans. Using signal processing and artificial intelligence methods, the algorithm aims to spot telltale signs of stroke. In addition to this technology finding its way into ambulances and emergency rooms, the company believes that it can be used by patients themselves that suspect having had a minor stroke. Moreover, the dry electrodes may allow other form factors to help monitor EEG over longer periods by embedding the electrodes into the tips of glasses or into headphones to grab brainwaves through the temples.
While the technology is currently being explored for EEG, the researchers believe that it can be translated to monitor the heart via ECG.
Samsung: C-Lab Engineers Developing Wearable Health Sensor for Stroke Detection…
(hat tip: Engadget)
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