Wrist-Worn Wearable Can Detect and Maybe Prevent Seizures

A wristband can monitor stress signals in epileptics to detect and warn of impending seizures.

Kristopher Sturgis

A new device, known as Embrace, is the product of a new company called Empatica-- an organization that specializes in the development of wearable devices using medical quality sensing technologies. The project was aimed at providing a novel tool for patients who suffer from epilepsy, a neurological disease that is characterized by unprovoked seizures that can lead to a fatal condition known as "sudden unexpected death in epilepsy."

(See our Q&A with one of the innovators behind this technology.)

Embrace, based on early work at MIT, was designed to monitor motion and electrodermal activity, also known as skin conductance, which can indicate stress levels and help identify and predict seizures. After a successful Indiegogo campaign last year that advertised the technology, the group began shipping beta versions out to supporters last week.

On its website, the company says that it eventually hopes that the technology can prevent seizures, but notes that "this is not allowed until further research is done directly with Embrace." 

Operating the technology is fairly seamless and simple. Once the device detects a seizure, it vibrates, alerting the wearer to respond. If the user loses consciousness before responding, the device can send an alert to a designated individual who can respond with help.

In addition to monitoring stress levels and predicting seizure activity, the wristband can also monitor sleep cycles, activity levels, and comes with a smartphone app that enables the user, as well as caretakers and healthcare professionals to monitor readings from the device. The wristband resembles most modern wrist-worn fitness trackers and watches, enabling users to wear it comfortably and discreetly.

Wearable technologies continue to soar in popularity, as they've even carved out their own corner at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Fitness tracking devices are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wearable technologies, as the market for smart clothing continues to saturate with cutting edge wearable solutions -- a reality that puts companies like Empatica at the forefront of innovative design and creativity in the realm of medtech wearables.

With the ubiquitous nature of smartphones and tablets, the company began developing software that could pair with the wearable device to help facilitate the process of monitoring and quantifying the data collected by the wristband. The company designed the wristband and app to benefit not only patients suffering from neurological conditions, but everyday users who wish to better track and manage stress levels.

For now, the company hopes to continue to enhance the device, particularly when it comes to detecting stress signals from the autonomic nervous system -- a place where stress levels can initiate the fight-or-flight response. They believe that the wristband can be used to detect similar signals that originate deep in the brain, something that could be useful in studying other neurological conditions like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even autism.

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