Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in healthcare.
Many research projects aim to make life safer for people with chronic illnesses.
At the same time, experience shows that there is often a long way from promising test results to solutions that patients can actually use in everyday life, reports Press Association.
For people with epilepsy, uncertainty is a major problem. Seizures can occur without warning and can lead to serious injuries.
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Today, there is no widely available technology that can provide a reliable warning shortly before a seizure.
Research in Scotland
At Glasgow Caledonian University, researchers are working on a headset that uses artificial intelligence to analyse brainwaves and heart rhythm.
The system has been trained on thousands of hours of previous EEG and ECG recordings to recognise signals that often appear before an epileptic seizure.
During development, the researchers have used a so-called phantom head.
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In this setup, electrodes are placed on an artificial model of a head, allowing the technology to be tested without involving patients in the early stages.
What the technology could mean
The project leader, Professor Hadi Larijani, believes that even a few minutes’ warning can make a major difference.
He tells Press Association: “Providing even a few minutes' warning could be life changing”. Such an alert can provide time to get to safety or seek help.
The researchers state that, in testing, the system has achieved an accuracy of up to 95 percent.
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Challenges ahead
Although the results are promising, the technology is still at the prototype stage.
Medical devices must undergo thorough approval processes, and according to Hadi Larijani, it may take several years before a finished product could eventually reach patients.
Sources: Medical Xpress, and Press Association.
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