Skin conductance based wearable detects seizures

Embrace by Empatica is a sleek, crowdfunded wearable that detects epileptic seizures.  It also tracks movement, sleep, and stress.  The technology is based on Rosalind Picard‘s 2008 study showing that seizures produce high levels of skin conductance.

Other seizure logging wearables focus on accelerometer tracked motion.  Empatica believes that Embrace more accurately measures seizures by combining accelerometer and gyroscope data with skin conductance measurements.  Electrodes on the inside of Embrace pass a tiny current through one’s skin to measure sweat gland stimulation.

The band vibrates if the algorithm detects a seizure, enabling the user to indicate a false alarm. If the user doesn’t respond, Embrace connect with his or her smartphone to alert designated contacts.


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