Samsung engineers have developed a brainwave monitoring solution aimed at detecting the onset of a stroke. Dubbed Early Detection Sensor & Algorithm Package (EDSAP), the prototype solution allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet to monitor the electrical impulses released by their brain, thereby determining the likelihood of a stroke.
The EDSAP consists of a headset covered with sensors that collects and wirelessly transmits brainwave data to a mobile app, that in turn, analyzes the data and determines the probability of an oncoming stroke. Samsung claims the solution completes the entire process within 60 seconds, compared to around 15 minutes required for existing brainwave monitoring equipment at hospitals.
The project started a couple of years ago when a group of smartphone and washing machine engineers at the Samsung came together in a bid to do something different. "We approached neurologists, asking them whether this was feasible," said Se-hoon Lim, the project lead. "They were dismissive, but we wanted to give it a go."
And so they applied to undertake it as an independent project at the South Korean company's Creativity Lab, or C-Lab, which helps employees turn their creative ideas into commercially viable products and solutions.
While the current prototype comes in the form of head gear, the rubber-like material it is made of means that EDSAP sensors can be scaled down into a variety of form factors. For example, you can paste them onto the backside of hairpins or eyeglass temples.
Aside from providing an early warning about the possibility of a stroke, the solution can also be used to provide additional information like stress, anxiety and sleep patterns, and the team is now looking into how the technology could be used to monitor the heart.