Background

Over 50 million people suffer from epilepsy worldwide, of which around 30% continue to have seizures despite drug treatment. For these people the constant threat of a seizure is a considerable health hazard, as in extreme cases an undetected seizure can result in brain damage and death. The ability for a parent to remotely monitor their child while they are out and about could save many lives and help a lot of families who have to deal with this difficult problem.

A number of non-portable device devices are available to detect epileptic seizures. These devices are attached to the bed or mattress, to monitor movement within the bed to detect if someone is having an epileptic seizure. If a seizure is detected the device rings a predefined number associated with a carer.

There are also devices that can be worn that detect if a person falls over, but until now there were no wearable devices that work while someone is moving around or while they are travelling.

Epdetect was developed by Kenneth Austin and Robert Dlugosz. Kenneth’s son is epileptic and has been hospitalised on a number of occasions following severe tonic clonic seizures. Having searched the market for a device that could be worn without success, Kenneth decided to develop Epdetect to enable his son and others to continue to lead an independent life while still being closely monitored.

Robert had previously developed a mobile phone application (Don’t Touch Me), which provided SMS signalling with GPS location. 'Robert agreed to develope the EpDetect application which would be based on a detector that Kenneth would develop.

We will continue Epdetect’s development, to refine the detector and improve its core functionality. We will also be introducing options to detect a fall or lengthy periods of inactivity… So keep visiting the site to look for updates.

The Beta version of Epdetect is available for download,
» VIEW DETAILS ON HOW TO DOWNLOAD HERE