Questions about Arduino + epilepsy

First of all, hello! I am new in the forum and my English isn't very good.

I want to make a project that I could name "Epilepsy seizure detector", I have seen other projects but all are epilepsy detectors when you are sleeping (shakings), but I want one that you can use while you are awake.
I have thought in an EEG like mindwave and what I want to do is read the brain waves and when it detects unusual brain waves make a warn (buzzer, SMS to a phone number, etc)

As you can see in the image the normal brain waves are in the left and abnormal in the right.

Is this possible with mind wave or other sensor? I have seen this:
https://es.aliexpress.com/store/product/ThinkGear-AM-NeuroSky-EEG-module-TGAM-ideas-gaming-control-electronic-diy/837819_32743343070.html
and this
Kit de iniciación Arduino, módulo TGAM, Sensor EEG, Brainwave, Mindwave, Neurosky, aplicación para desarrollar con TGAT1, que proporciona SDK|controller control|control gamingcontroller kit - AliExpress but I don't know if this is possible and before spend money I prefer to ask.

Thanks to all in advance and if this should go in other forum please tell me and I'm sorry.

Are you thinking a hobby device can perform as well or better than commercial devices?

Paul

Paul_KD7HB:
Are you thinking a hobby device can perform as well or better than commercial devices?

Paul

No, I do this as a hobby because I am epileptic and I think is interesting and also as a project for class, I don't pretend that it works like a commercial or professional device

Thanks

pablo22:
No, I do this as a hobby because I am epileptic and I think is interesting and also as a project for class, I don't pretend that it works like a commercial or professional device

Thanks

Many years ago I worked with a fellow who had epilepsy, but medication had controlled it for so long he could drive a car again.

My only suggestion is for you to experiment. Get the stuff you are referencing and try it. I doubt anyone on a hobby forum has any experience detecting abnormal brain activity.

Paul

Paul_KD7HB:
Many years ago I worked with a fellow who had epilepsy, but medication had controlled it for so long he could drive a car again.

My only suggestion is for you to experiment. Get the stuff you are referencing and try it. I doubt anyone on a hobby forum has any experience detecting abnormal brain activity.

Paul

I asked beacause it's a project for school and I'm sure that most of the people here know more than me hahaha
I have read a few posts about this here in the Arduino forum, I will keep searching info and if I get something I will make a thread.

Does anyone know something?

Do you have the sensor yet?

Do you have examples of "normal" and "epileptic" patterns from the sensor yet? Do you know what you are looking for? Do you know how to identify the specific pattern and exclude all the normal ones?

It's pretty easy for a human to look at a chart and see "spiky" or "cloudy" or some other description. Turning that into a specification that an Arduino can use is difficult. You might need to apply a Fourier Transform to identify energy in different frequency bands and then you can say "band 17 above 12 while band 1, 5 and 16 are below 3". You might need to modify a guitar-tuning library to identify exactly 12.3Hz.

Are there restrictions on using Arduino for medical applications ?
You don’t want a power supply failure to zap your brain

MorganS:
Do you have the sensor yet?

Do you have examples of "normal" and "epileptic" patterns from the sensor yet? Do you know what you are looking for? Do you know how to identify the specific pattern and exclude all the normal ones?

It's pretty easy for a human to look at a chart and see "spiky" or "cloudy" or some other description. Turning that into a specification that an Arduino can use is difficult. You might need to apply a Fourier Transform to identify energy in different frequency bands and then you can say "band 17 above 12 while band 1, 5 and 16 are below 3". You might need to modify a guitar-tuning library to identify exactly 12.3Hz.

No, I don't have the sensor because I don't know if it is going to work and it's expensive for me

I have thought that when the brainwaves exceed a normal values the Arduino sends the SMS (for example when X waves exceed Y Hz value, but I'm not sure about this)

As the time pass I'm seeing this harder, so if I don't find a solution maybe I'll go only for heart attack detector and for epileptic use a sensor that detects when the person falls to the ground due to seizure

hammy:
Are there restrictions on using Arduino for medical applications ?
You don’t want a power supply failure to zap your brain

I don't know if there are restrictions but it's a school project so it doesn't need to be perfect
Arduino uses 5V right? I don't see 5V dangerous but maybe that's because I'm a begginer

Thanks to all and sorry for my English and for be so late to answer, I'm busy with exams

The danger with these projects is not the 5v , it is when faults occur - for example your power supply failing and putting out a high voltage.

Hi, yes it's possible, there is an indestructible article on the net, just google it. I think the trick is to find or make cheap sensors, also what ever sensor you use you'll have to be wearing them all the time so you don't want them big and clumsy. I take it from this that you get no warning and you get Grand Mal seizures? I really don't think you need to worry about voltage/current as it would be a portable device it would be battery powered. How about a system that could ring an emergency number in the event of abnormal brain waves or perhaps a sensor that could detect abnormal repetitive movements? Best of luck with your project.

hammy:
The danger with these projects is not the 5v , it is when faults occur - for example your power supply failing and putting out a high voltage.

Well I would use it with batteries so I don't think it's dangerous, but thanks for the advise!

TobyOne:
Hi, yes it's possible, there is an indestructible article on the net, just google it. I think the trick is to find or make cheap sensors, also what ever sensor you use you'll have to be wearing them all the time so you don't want them big and clumsy. I take it from this that you get no warning and you get Grand Mal seizures? I really don't think you need to worry about voltage/current as it would be a portable device it would be battery powered. How about a system that could ring an emergency number in the event of abnormal brain waves or perhaps a sensor that could detect abnormal repetitive movements? Best of luck with your project.

Has the instructables the entire project? I mean, is it an epileptic seizure detector? I have seen a lot instructables but not a specific one, if you find it please tell me

The sensor I found it's +-40$ so it's expesive but if it's going to work I can afford it

With this what do you mean: "I take it from this that you get no warning and you get Grand Mal seizures?"; are you refering to my seizures? No, I get warnings and if it happens to me I can call someone and tell what happen, after that I pass out

Yes it'd be powered by batteries

I had not thought of a sensor that detects abnormal repetitive movements but it's a great idea, I will look for more info

Thank you so much!

I think you should should make a search for NeuroSky, I have worked on it around 2 years ago. It's not quite perfect but you can detect some basic movements like blinking. I have interfaced it with LabView and detected the blink,worked fine. Give it a search.

Yes I was referring to your seizures, a lot of people don't get a warning, if someone could work out an warning for that. Here is a link that might get you started :https://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Arduino-Portable-EEG-Brain-Wave-Monitor-/ Of course you'll have to write the code that determines whether the signals from the sensors are normal or abnormal, but this is the point of the project, if it was all done for you then it wouldn't be your project, I think there is enough information to point you in the right direction. It is worth noting that a everyday wearable sensor may not pick up enough patterns to detect whether someone is having a seizure or not. My girlfriend does not have any warnings but she once had a dog that was always very attentive to her just before she had a seizure, now if a dog can sense an oncoming seizure there must be a way of detecting it,now if you could figure that out......

jackthom41:
I think you should should make a search for NeuroSky, I have worked on it around 2 years ago. It's not quite perfect but you can detect some basic movements like blinking. I have interfaced it with LabView and detected the blink,worked fine. Give it a search.

I know NeuroSky but I don't know if it would work with the project I want to do and I have never used LabView or Matlab (I have seen it with Matlab too)

TobyOne:
Yes I was referring to your seizures, a lot of people don't get a warning, if someone could work out an warning for that. Here is a link that might get you started :https://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Arduino-Portable-EEG-Brain-Wave-Monitor-/ Of course you'll have to write the code that determines whether the signals from the sensors are normal or abnormal, but this is the point of the project, if it was all done for you then it wouldn't be your project, I think there is enough information to point you in the right direction. It is worth noting that a everyday wearable sensor may not pick up enough patterns to detect whether someone is having a seizure or not. My girlfriend does not have any warnings but she once had a dog that was always very attentive to her just before she had a seizure, now if a dog can sense an oncoming seizure there must be a way of detecting it,now if you could figure that out......

Thanks for the link!
Yes I know I'll have to write code (what a project if I have all done hahaha)

At first I would do it with an Arduino Uno or Mega so it wouldn't be a wearable

I have a cat and when I have a seizure she knows that something happened because she stays with me until I wake up