Researchers and private companies have been developing possible solutions to the unpredictable seizure problem for years now.
But at Loop AI, we're developing the ultimate solution.
We are a brain coprocessor company, co-founded by students Zara Pehlivani and Emilio Bazan, that is working on the Loop ONE headband—the first ever non-invasive, kid-friendly seizure suppressor.
ONE is completely external and uses EEG electrodes and ultrasound to detect and suppress seizures in real-time. And, unlike any other seizure solution, it's kid-friendly.
Every year, more than 150,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy in the United States. Currently, 1 in 26 people suffer from active epilepsy, and 470,000 of them are kids.
Credit: Kind Heart Collective
Living with epilepsy is stressful... we constantly face problems like stereotypes and completely unpredictable seizures. Having a seizure is a little like … blacking out for a hot minute, and you just kind of forget what you were talking about, what happened during that time. Afterwards it’s like a hole in your memory. It's kinda scary when you know that you can lose consciousness whenever.
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The ONE headband uses electrodes which monitor neuron activity in different lobes of the user's brain. Machine-learning algorithms accurately classify this activity as seizure or non-seizure. Then, small ultrasound transducers in the headband stimulate the affected neurons, stopping the seizure in its path.
The ONE headband is also connected to the Loop ONE app, which displays the user's daily, weekly, and monthly seizure stats, as well as epilepsy fast facts and first aid. Kid users collect points the more they wear the headband, with which they can receive new covers for their headbands and other awards. Furthermore, whenever a seizure is detected and suppressed, a parent or caregiver is alerted.
"A headband like this would be revolutionary for kids with epilepsy. They don't have to worry about brain development problems and go about their day like any other kid," said a student, who has suffered from childhood epilepsy, in a recent interview with Loop.
We are planning to use anonymous data from ONE headband users to improve our algorithm accuracy. The headband will assist in R&D for future Loop AI devices and serve as a proof of concept for Loop's future technology.
The first Loop product series will be targeted towards epilepsy patients of all ages, the end goal being to remove the problem of unexpected seizures in the United States.
The Loop ONE headband functions using three major components: biomarker detection, artificial intelligence, and ultrasound.
EEG is a method that is widely used by medical practitioners to diagnose and monitor epilepsy. The neurons in your brain communicate through electrical impulses called action potentials. These tiny changes in electrical charge throughout your brain give off waves that are detectable using electrodes. Usually, these electrodes are on a cap placed on a patient's scalp, and they transmit information to a program which displays the waves picked up by the electrodes. Normal neuron activity looks like this:
You can see how the waves are relatively short in height and uniform throughout. But when a person has a seizure, their neuron activity becomes spastic and has a high frequency: