A medical sensor start-up company has received over $650,000 in funding to develop wearable devices for epilepsy patients. What challenges does epilepsy present, what does the device in development do, and what challenges do wearable devices face?

What challenges does epilepsy present?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that can have many different causes, have other effects, and require varying treatments. It is made more complex because scientists still do not fully understand the condition, making it difficult to manage and predict.

Generally speaking, epilepsy is the cyclic firing of neurons (called a seizure) that disrupts the regular operation of neurons. During an epileptic seizure, an individual can experience full-body strong involuntary movements and shaking. In contrast, other seizures can cause mental incapacitation, hindering decision-making and awareness (often appearing as drowsiness).

What makes epilepsy so dangerous is that most epileptic seizures interfere with decision making and awareness, meaning that individuals can accidentally self-harm (through violent involuntary movement), or worse, die as a result of having a seizure in a dangerous environment (such as driving). Some sufferers of epilepsy are fortunate in that they can tell when a seizure will start as their senses will be off (i.e., tasting peanut butter or smelling cut grass). Others, however, may have no warning whatsoever, meaning that extra care has to be taken in their daily lives to ensure that random seizures do not cause harm.

During a seizure, getting medical help is impossible if the individual is alone, and matters are made worse when considering that those who suffer from seizures require time to recover from the seizure. Overall, epilepsy can be a severe condition that requires constant attention and care.

Start-up receives funding to pursue epilepsy devices

Recently, a start-up company called Neuvara received over $650,000 in funding to complete its development on a wearable medical device that it claims will transform the lives of those living with epilepsy. Not much is known about the hardware specifics of the device, but what is known is that the N1 device is a non-invasive wearable neck device. The device measures biological activity related to epilepsy (including electrical signals, breathing, heart rate, sweat, and motion).

Furthermore, the N1 device transmits this data for remote processing, whereby epilepsy treatment can be expedited and provides users with an advanced warning that a seizure may be imminent. Seizure prediction could be determined using AI and biological data, which combines results from other patients to produce a neural net.

However, the main goal of the device is to eliminate deaths caused by seizures known as Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy (SUDEP). There are more than 3.5 million epilepsy sufferers in the US alone, and such individuals are at risk of death during seizures which the N1 device may reduce.

What challenges do wearable devices face?

Creating wearable medical devices comes with a whole range of challenges, including comfortability, effectiveness in measurement, and reliability. Anything worn on the body needs to be comfortable enough to either go unnoticed or at the very least not cause discomfort. For example, clothing is worn and very easily noticed, but its soft texture allows it to be comfortable.

Worn devices also need to be effective in their operation. Devices such as smartwatches and smartphones may not be required to monitor biological data, but their requirement to be small can negatively impact their processing performance. With regards to worn sensors, poor contact with skin can result in degraded sensing performance.

Reliability is also another factor that has to be taken into consideration. Wearable devices built using flexible technology may suffer from reliability issues, and sensors deployed in the medical sector (such as the N1 epilepsy collar) must be faultless.

The N1 will have to face all of these challenges and more if it becomes a reliable tool for preventing unnecessary deaths through epilepsy. The $650,000 funding will help continue its development and hopefully provide better care for the many millions who suffer from epilepsy.