Novel Wearable Sensor Help ALS Patients Communicate

New wearable sensor was developed by MIT researchers to help those living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) communicate. The findings of the study are published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. The software identifies small movements in a patient's face like twitches and smiles. It's also smaller compared to the typical communication devices available on the market.

People living with the disease experience gradual deterioration in their ability to control their muscles, which often restricts their communication skills.

The wearable technology, known as Comfortable Decoders, identifies tiny facial movements that can help patients interact with simple statements, like "I'm hungry" or "I love you."

The MIT team stated it was motivated to design technology that could meet the basic need of dialogue and communication.

"Humans are very social beings, and we need to be able to interact with those around us. With ALS, you ultimately lose that ability without the help of technology," researcher Rachel McIntosh said.

Comfortable Decoders was designed with stretchable, skin-like material that attaches to a person's face to detect motion.

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"We chose to create a conformable device that would overcome the bulkiness and the lack of intimate contact with the skin," researcher Farita Tasnim stated. "And that's what Conformable Decoders are trying to do, is create devices which people can utilize in daily life."

Source-Medindia