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Headset catches early signs of dementia by scanning brain waves

The headset has been created by start-up BrainWaveBank  - BrainWaveBank 
The headset has been created by start-up BrainWaveBank - BrainWaveBank

 

A Northern Irish start-up has developed a headset that it says could spot early signs of dementia.

BrainWaveBank says the headset, which users need to wear while playing games on a phone, could go on sale to the public in three years. 

It monitors electrical brain activity to spot patterns that could be early indicators of brain conditions. The company is backed by Innovate UK, the Government’s tech investment arm, and is currently testing its headset with around 90 people.

Brainwave studies have been held back in the past, because they do not have enough data or because combing through the data is incredibly intensive. But the rise of cheaper sensors and machine-learning technology could mean establishing patterns that are reliable indicators of illness.

BrainWaveBank is working with First Derivatives, an Aim-listed big data company whose Kx technology is typically used by banks and regulators to spot trading patterns.

BrainWaveBank headset  - Credit: BrainWaveBank 
Users have to wear the headset for 15 to 20 minutes a day while playing a mobile game Credit: BrainWaveBank

The headset is worn for between 15 and 20 minutes a day while playing games on a smartphone, or tablet, designed to test memory, ­reactions and other functions.

It connects via Bluetooth and sends off the “electroencephalographic” brain data. The number of people who suffer from dementia is expected to triple to 130m by 2050.

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