A Samsung team of engineers presents the prototype for a stroke-detecting device (via Samsung)
Five engineers at Samsung (from the smartphone and washing machine design teams) have undertaken an ambitious project in unfamiliar territory--they’re striving to create a device and companion app that can detect impending strokes, which occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off causing populations of neurons to die. These incidents can pop up in any part of the brain and may have devastating consequences, drastically altering cognition and sometimes leading to death. Catching symptoms early is important for treatment success, so a device designed for detecting early warning signs that can be worn daily by people vulnerable to stroke would be a pretty big leap forward in preventative care.
The team of engineers at Samsung recently revealed their stroke-detecting prototype, called the Early Detection Sensor & Algorithm Package (EDSAP), which consists of a headset covered in sensors along with its connected mobile app. The headset’s sensors are meant to record electrical impulses transmitted from brain cells, while the app is wirelessly time-locked to these signals, using an algorithm to interpret them. The analysis of risk would be achieved by comparing the signal measurements against a compilation of brainwave data from past stroke victims.
The team claims that the EDSAP system can determine the likelihood of a stroke in a matter of seconds, much faster than most brain-monitoring devices. They also say that their headset is an improvement over brain wave detectors like the electroencephalograph (EEG), which requires a conductive saline gel to be applied in areas of electrode placement--the EDSAP requires no gel, as it is made up of a highly conductive rubber-like material. Eventually, says the team, the headset material could be used to make everyday accessories such as hair clips and parts of eyeglasses, so that the EDSAP’s wearers may be more fashionable.
Despite “dismissive” attitudes regarding the feasibility of this idea from consulted out-of-company neurologists, the team’s efforts are backed by their medical advisor, Dr. Seung-Bong Hong, a neurologist at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul. Says Hong, “There are certainly a number of steps that remain for EDSAP, including full clinical trials.” Indeed, the team’s claims of the functionality of the EDSAP have not been substantiated by any published trials. “Nevertheless,” he adds, “I can confidently say that what these engineers have achieved merits the medical community’s attention.”
The Samsung team has high expectations for this project, anticipating extension of the device’s capabilities into other areas of medical health, such as heart attack prevention; they say that the adaption of the device into a sort of heart monitor would not be a far stretch.
If the team’s efforts do turn out successful, it would mean a lot for stroke prevention. Those vulnerable to stroke, if alerted by a system like the EDSAP, could get to a hospital before its full onset, thereby dodging death or serious cognitive impairment. Overall, the hopes of Samsung’s team are altruistic, but until some rigorous testing is conducted, prospects for EDSAP can only be characterized as “promising”
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