Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. According to the CDC, in 2015, 1.2% of the US population had active epilepsy. This is about 3.4 million people with epilepsy nationwide: 3 million adults and 470,000 children.

Read more: Purdue Researchers Develop Wearable That May Help Prevent Sudden Death From Epilepsy

ULTEEM is a sensor solution that transforms ordinary glasses into smart glasses. It allows non-invasively record the electric brain activity generated by the temporal lobes. Developed in collaboration with the Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) and sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), the ULTEEM has been successfully tested at NeuroTec.

Use cases

Temporal electroencephalogram (EEG) provides valuable information for long-term generalized epilepsy monitoring and electrooculogram (EOG) signals are widely used in vigilance monitoring, reports CSEM.

Features

• Equipped with dry electrodes, ULTEEM achieves a signal quality equivalent to clinical-grade EEG systems
• CSEM’s patented technology enables connecting sensors with a simple wire not necessarily shielded nor insulated
• Autonomy more than 16 hours thanks to years of low-power design experience in wearables
• Bluetooth Low Energy for data streaming and on-board memory for long-term recordings
• Design and verification according to the latest IEC 60601-1 and IEC 80601-2-26 standards

Benefits

The device is minimally obtrusive and is so small that it may be attached to the frame of the glasses.

CSEM’s technology allows simple integration of the sensors into eyeglass frames avoiding complex production and assembly methods. Stigmatization is a major obstacle to the long-term monitoring of patients with neurological diseases. ULTEEM provides a unique opportunity by allowing them to use their own eyeglasses and remove the clip-on sensors whenever felt uneasy.

Read more: BioSerenity Helping Epilepsy Patients by Diagnosing the Condition Earlier

Clinical partners

A pilot study was conducted for clinical assessment of the ULTEEM device with Neuro-Tec.

What’s next?

The developers are working on a device for nighttime monitoring of epilepsy – the ULTEEMNite for sleep monitoring and 24/7 epilepsy monitoring.

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