I-Corps: Commercial form-factor earbuds for unobtrusive and comfortable sleep monitoring

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a comfortable, easy-to-use, and discreet electroencephalography system that would not only empower end users to track sleep and readiness, but would also enable a whole new class of large-scale, easy-to-administer sleep studies. A re-usable, comfortable, in-ear electroencephalography (Ear electroencephalography) could also help improve the diagnoses of cognitive disorders (e.g., anxiety and depression), sleep disorders, and epilepsy by providing medical professionals with a new tool for observing their patients in their daily lives. The downstream effects related to at-home sleep monitoring and easier, more comfortable diagnoses include improved public health, greater scientific understanding of the human brain, and healthcare cost savings. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a device for unobtrusive and comfortable sleep monitoring. The technology uses dry electrodes and a wireless recording system for electroencephalography and wellness monitoring through commercial form-factor earbuds. Current clinical electroencephalography (EEG) systems used to perform sleep studies rely on technicians to help patients apply and remove the EEG electrodes. EEG electrodes are wet electrodes that rely on skin cleaning and abrasion as well as cumbersome electronics. The required skin preparation often results in skin lesions and hair loss. These system requirements limit patient comfort, user movement, and the ability to measure uncontaminated neural activity. While some commercial systems have introduced smaller electronics and dry electrodes, their headset form-factors cannot be comfortably used in sleep, and they are still too bulky for comfortable day-to-day use in both public and private environments. This project will develop a user-generic, in-ear electroencephalography recording platform that fits into commercial earbuds, significantly reducing system weight and size to dramatically improve comfort and usability allowing for daily wear. The proposed platform also uses novel dry electrode designs, low-power wireless recording electronics, and a widely adopted form factor to enable a new era of comfortable, daily use, and at-home sleep monitoring. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.