Ryan Clark,
a former game developer, has created an app for an inexpensive Chinese Android
smartwatch that could save the life of epilepsy sufferers. An app called "Pebble
Epilepsy Monitor" can detect a user's seizures and notify a designated contact
person.
This application uses the smart watch's
built-in accelerometer, so that it can timely determine whether the user's
movement pattern matches the characteristics of epileptic seizures, so that
family and friends can be notified by a life-saving text message.
While other wearables like the Apple
Watch have built-in accelerometers, Pebble provides a unique opportunity for app
developers. There are several good reasons why this epilepsy detection app works
best on inexpensive Chinese smartwatches.
“I didn’t think about developing this app
for other smartwatches like the Apple Watch. It was well thought out,” explained
Clarke. -watches cost an average of $99, while the Apple Watch costs $349.
Another important reason is that
smartwatches such as the Apple Watch or Moto 360 do not allow you to download
and use open source applications, while many Chinese smartwatch models not only
provide developers with easy-to-use tools development, but also allows device
users to download and install them. In other words, you don't have to rely
solely on App Store-approved software, as is the case with the Apple Watch.
Angela Ostrom, COO of the Epilepsy
Foundation, said the monitoring device could be of tremendous help to people
with epilepsy. “While there is currently no seizure prevention device and not
all epilepsy patients have access to this app, this smart device that detects
seizure activity will benefit many families and patients. Alert patients when
they may be in danger."
The application can not only notify
relatives and friends of people with epilepsy, but also help them locate the
patient, confirm their breathing status, and seek medical attention if necessary.
Pebble's epilepsy monitor isn't perfect,
and it also faces regulatory and medical liability issues. The app has not yet
been approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), so it cannot be
certified as a "medical device" yet. At the same time, since it is not
downloaded through the app store, the responsibility for using it should be the
responsibility of the user.
At the same time, this application also
faces some hardware limitations. The Pebble Epilepsy Monitor has not been
scientifically proven to work, and if the patient wearing the watch cannot move
their arm during a seizure, it will not work. And "Pebble Epilepsy Monitoring"
can also give incorrect judgments, but this function can be temporarily disabled
through the settings