Aug 24, 2015 | By Simon
As wireless technologies - such as wireless internet and Bluetooth - continue to find their way into a number of “smart” consumer electronic devices, we’re also starting to see how these powerful technologies can also be used in a number of non-traditional lifestyle applications, too - such as devices used in the medical industry.
Today, Imec and the Holst Centre - along with the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) faculty of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) - have announced a unique application for existing wireless technologies with their new wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) headset that can be worn comfortably and achieves a high-quality EEG signal. The headset enables effective brain-computer interfacing and can monitor emotions and mood in daily life situations using a smartphone application.
Previously, effective monitoring methods for tracking emotions and mood in daily life situations have been limited to bulkier solutions that were more invasive. Ultimately, the headset not only represents a new generation of previously-bulky medical tracking devices, it does so with an increased level of usability when considering its ability to pair with existing smartphones.
The new headsets, which feature dry electrodes and are easy to apply and support long-term daily life monitoring, can be used for a number of different applications outside of the medical tracking, too - including next-generation video games that monitor relaxation, engagement and concentration during game activity. For medical-related applications, the device can be used for attention training, sleep training and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), among others.
To create the futuristic medical wearable, the design team turned to 3D printing in order to develop the headset as a single piece. According to imec, the base of the headset is 3D printed in a single piece, followed by the installation of electronic components, followed by a rubber inlay created on a 3D printer. In order to allow for optimal EEG signal acquisition related to emotion and mood variations, the sensors that acquire the EEG signal are situated at the front of the headset.
“Leveraging imec’s strong background in EEG sensing, dry polymer and active electrodes, miniaturized and low-power data acquisition, and low-power wireless interfaces to smartphones, we were able to focus on the ergonomics of this project,” said Bernard Grundlehner, an EEG System Architect at imec.
“In doing so, we have successfully realized this unique combination of comfort and effectiveness at the lowest possible cost to the future user.”
Of course, developing a wireless headset that’s capable of acquiring a reliable EEG signal doesn’t come without its own set of challenges, too.
Among other technical challenges that Grundlehner and the rest of his team were up against included finding a balance between comfort and signal quality; in order to ensure a reliable signal quality, the dry electrodes had to be applied to the head with consistent pressure, which can lead to discomfort for multiple users of varying head sizes and shapes.
In total, six graduate students at TU Delft worked on this challenge in their Advanced Embodiment Design (AED) project alongside their faculty. The team’s resulting design was achieved by a design procedure that optimizes shape and stiffness of the headset design by prototyping and testing the design repeatedly in rapid short loops - a procedure that clearly makes use of the rapid speed and low-cost characteristics of additive manufacturing.
In addition to a headset design that minimizes intrusiveness and is capable of meeting the needs of a large segment of their market, the development also included the creation of an accompanying app for tracking a number of environmental factors relating to the user including agenda, location, proximity to others and time of day. The resulting data is then used by researchers to better understand their patients create new actionable insights.
While the headset isn’t necessarily something that one might expect to see on a regular basis, those who have come to rely on them in an effort to better understand various emotional health factors are surely going to be thankful of a more streamlined and less obtrusive design.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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