Two separate, but closely related, developments allow a wrist-worn mobile phone sensor to alert medical services about possible heart problems and epileptic fits.
While a number of companies are now offering heart monitor systems, the Red Alert AR1000GM system, devised by Alexander Bushell and his colleagues, is, as far as we know, the only one that can detect epilepsy.
Bushell told us at the British Invention Show that the system devised for epilepsy, “detects convulsions and certain drops in pressure”.
The design is complicated by the fact that there are 40 different kinds of epileptic condition. While the heart monitor only needs two electrodes and a wrist and blood pressure sensor, that for epilepsy has to include a solid state gyroscope to detect fits and/or the patient falling over.
Bushell said: “The NHS is already interested, although we have already raised half the funding ourselves. Our target is to have a final prototype ready in April 2008”.
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