Nighttime epileptic seizures can be genuinely dangerous. If you have therapy-resistant epilepsy or a mental condition, you may have a one-in-five chance of dying from them. Thankfully, researchers at TUe may have a viable way of detecting and responding to those seizures in time to save lives. They've developed a smart arm bracelet, Nightwatch, that both detects signs of severe seizures and contacts care staff.
It combines both a heart rate sensor and a motion sensor to look for both an unusually high heart rate as well as the rhythmic jolting characteristic of a seizure. In trials, the bracelet caught 85 percent of serious epileptic seizures and 96 percent of the most severe cases. That may not sound reliable, but it's far more effective than a conventional bend sensor, which only detected 21 percent of serious attacks. It's also comfortable to wear, helping patients both fall and stay…
