epilepsy
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Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch
Millions of people suffer from epileptic seizures, and the threat of such episodes is a constant concern for those with the condition, their families and caretakers. Smart Monitor knows that the freedom of folks with epilepsy is curtailed by trepidation caused by the unpredictability of seizures, so it's created the SmartWatch. The device is a wristwatch, roughly the size of a WIMM One, that has a GPS module and a proprietary accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor inside to detect the excessive and repeated motions that occur during grand mal seizures. It then records the time, duration and location of the occurrences and sends that information via Bluetooth to the accompanying app on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in the works). The app tracks and stores the info and automatically calls your designated caretakers to alert them of the seizure, thusly ensuring the safety of the watch wearer. The watch also has physical buttons on the side that allow users to cancel a false alert or manually send one out with a single press.Aside from the real-time safety net that comes with wearing the watch, it also provides valuable information to neurologists over the long term. When and where seizures take place is data that those who study and treat epilepsy find useful, and it can be quite difficult for folks to recall such info after a seizure. SmartWatch can give doctors an accurate long term look at a patient's episodic history that they wouldn't be able to obtain otherwise. Because it's a motion detection unit, the device is only for those who suffer from tonic clonic, or grand mal seizures, so it's not a universal seizure detector. However, the company's clinical trials with the device are ongoing, and Smart Monitor will submit it for FDA approval as a tonic clonic seizure sensor later this year.
UCLA / Caltech researchers help patients move mouse cursors with their brains
It's certainly not a revolutionary new concept -- whiz kids have been tinkering with brain-controlled interfaces for years on end -- but a collaboration between UCLA scientists and colleagues from the California Institute of Technology has taken the idea one leap closer to commercialization. Itzhak Fried, a professor of neurosurgery at UCLA, kept a close watch (via embedded electrodes) on how a dozen humans reacted to certain images, and eventually, Fried and co. were able to show that Earthlings can "regulate the activity of their neurons to intentionally alter the outcome of stimulation." In other words, they were able to move a mouse cursor with just their mind, and brighten a test image with a 70 percent success rate. By honing the process of controlling what actions occur when focused on a given subject (or input peripheral), it opens up the possibility for paralyzed individuals to not only check their email, but also control prosthetic limbs. It's hard to say when this stuff will be put to good use outside of a hospital, but the video after the break definitely makes us long for "sooner" rather than "later."
WipEout dev questions validity of epilepsy test
The folks at Studio Liverpool have been quiet about the long delay of WipEout HD. While all signs pointed to failed epilepsy tests, the team has been incredibly silent about the issue. Until now. Game director Tony Buckley said that "a lot of games" fail the epilepsy test. However, he questions the validity of the exams. "The hardware that actually does the test, it's quite ... subjective," he told GI.biz. "So, you know, it's difficult to pinpoint what the actual issues are, and whether they are actually issues, to be honest."In spite of that, the team took the issue to heart and worked on it very seriously. "We certainly weren't going to take it lightly," he noted. The team was going to be uncompromising in the look they were going for and ultimately, it appears they've succeeded. "That was our worry, that the game would suddenly look poorer as a result of it, but no, it's all gone really well."
Zone mode edited in final version of WipEout HD
If you read our preview, we said that WipEout HD's Zone mode was one of the most intense experiences we had the pleasure of racing through. Unfortunately, it appears the mode has been seriously toned down, most likely to pass epilepsy tests. In our preview, we said that the floor textures would respond to the music playing in the background, changing color suddenly when appropriate. The reactive floor textures have been removed for the final version of the game, and now Zone mode looks much more sterile. In fact, it reminds us a lot of the Zone mode found in the PSP games, WipEout Pure and Pulse. Granted, it still looks very nice. However, it saddens us to know that we may never have a chance to play a mode notorious for its sensory overload.See a comparison video at D-Pad Magazine.[Via NeoGAF]
And the epilepsy debate continues, this time in Parliament
Although some companies (like Ubisoft) have volunteered to do extra epilepsy-related tests for their games, the existing standard isn't enough for some people. Take, for example, famous and loathed mom Gaye Herford, who's responsible for bringing this fight to Parliament after her son suffered a fit while playing Rayman Raving Rabbids DS.Sprong reports that the House of Commons debate was held yesterday, with members supporting different solution. Margaret Hodge, the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, pushed for a voluntary testing system, which could be changed to mandatory in the future if the issue remained problematic. John Penrose on the other hand led a more paranoid debate, stating, "The point is that some games manufacturers may decide to do that, but there is a huge number of games-makers and manufacturers throughout the world. Some are large and responsible, such as Ubisoft, but as in any industry, there is a large number of manufacturers who are relatively tiny, and although some may be responsible, we cannot be sure."It doesn't seem as if a final decision was reached, but you know politics -- things take a while to get done.[Via Game Politics]
Mom wins her fight in Rayman Raving Rabbids epilepsy ordeal
Over the last year, UK mom ("mum" is the word over there, we believe) Gaye Herford has been fighting to change the way games are tested before they are sent to retail. Her 10-year-old son, while playing Rayman Raving Rabbids, went into an epileptic fit. She had no idea that games could send players into photo sensitive epileptic (PSE) seizures. We guess she hasn't seen the intro splash screen Nintendo has had around since the Pokémon incident.But, after a long year, she has won her battle. Ubisoft has volunteered to do the testing itself and will try to ensure such a thing does not happen again. Herford also managed to secure a debate in Parliament, for a future date that is yet to be determined. "As a parent myself, I was shocked that a single game could possibly trigger a sudden first-time seizure, with its life-long implications," says Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose, who helped Herford in her battle. "Right now, most electronic game publishers simply issue written warnings about PSE on or inside their products - and that's on a voluntary basis. But that's no good for the thousands of people with dormant PSE because they don't know the warnings - if they even read them - apply to them." At the time of the article, no comment was made by Nintendo. Ubisoft did say, though, that testing of Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the DS "showed that no images posed a high risk for photosensitivity epilepsy. However, we made a corporate decision to pre-screen and pre-test all Ubisoft in-house developed games regardless of platform, prior to publication."
Hackers embed flashing animations on epilepsy support forum
Shortly after hearing a sad tale of a 7-year old cancer patient having his medication and PSP stolen whilst en route to treatment comes yet another story of the world's meanest preying on the innocent. This go 'round, a group of griefers (which appear to be members of Anonymous) managed to invade a support forum established by the nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation and use JavaScript code and messages littered with flashing animations to effectively assault dozens of visitors who suffer from the disorder. The Foundation managed to catch wind of the problem within 12 hours of the attack, and while the boards were closed down temporarily to purge it of offending messages, many readers (such as RyAnne Fultz, pictured) experienced headaches and seizures before rescue arrived. Let's just say we sincerely hope the culprits get what's comin' to 'em.
Seizure brought on by DS game leads to banning crusade
After a boy in the UK fell into an epileptic fit from playing Rayman Raving Rabbids on the DS, his mother, Gaye Herford, protested to Parliament that there should be more vigorous safety testing for video games. Should her campaign be successful, any games that could potentially cause seizures will be banned in the UK and game developers will have to adhere to stricter safety standards. Currently, thirty-five Members of Parliament stand behind the proposal. Ubisoft (the makers of Rabbids) responded by saying that the company already pre-screened Rabbids DS for the potential to cause epileptic fits, and the testing showed that the game was unlikely to do so. Managing director of Ubisoft UK Robert Cooper added, however, that the company has made the decision to now test all in-house games prior to release. [Via Pocket Gamer]
MIT using disco-style lighting to calm erratic brain activity
MIT's brainiacs aren't exactly new to the world of partying, and now scientists at the MIT Media Lab have invented a way to "reversibly silence brain cells using pulses of yellow light." The presumably rave-inspired pulsing design offers up the prospect of "controlling the haywire neuron activity that occurs in diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease," which could theoretically lead to the creation of "optical brain prosthetics to control neurons, eliminating the need for irreversible surgery." Aside from being thrilled that this stuff could help us avoid dodgy robot-led surgeries, it could also help gamers who tend to suffer from epileptic fits when dealing with those head-mounted displays. Additionally, the team is also looking at utilizing the new system to more effectively study neural circuits, but considering that this technology has the ability to "exert exquisite control" over individual neurons within you dome, we certainly hope Big Brother doesn't get ahold of this.[Via Slashdot]
Sony, Vivendi sued after 'infant' suffers seizure
News has trickled out that last month a New York woman filed a lawsuit against Vivendi, Sierra, Sony, and now defunct rental store Hiawatha Video. The suit alleges that the defendants were "negligent, careless, and reckless with regard to the design and manufacture" of the PlayStation 2 version of Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. The woman's beef with this particular purple Puff adventure stems not from the widely held opinion that Enter the Dragonfly is the worst in Spyro's prolonged console run, but rather, from a more serious matter: while playing the game, her "infant" son suffered what's known as a tonic-clonic seizure -- or put colloquially, an "epileptic fit."According to the suit, the boy has sustained severe and permanent injuries that will require costly, lifelong medical care. The mother is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, which she requested be determined by a jury. Sony has since asked that the woman specify a clear total, perhaps indicating that a settlement could be reached.A warning about the possibility of epileptic seizure is published on the inside front cover of Enter the Dragonfly's instruction manual. But, as the game was apparently a rental, there's a good chance that the woman never received the booklet, which if the case, might see a court rule in favor of the plaintiff.
Epilepsy and games: A closer look
Anyone who plays video games has probably come across the scary-sounding warnings about epileptic seizures that affect "a very small portion of the population." But it's still a bit shocking to stumble across a headline that urges reader to "Beware! Video game turn kids epileptic."The sensationalistic headline in the Hindustan Times is a bit misleading -- as the Epilepsy Therapy Development Project (ETDP) explains, "playing video games can, in rare cases, trigger seizures, but there is no scientific evidence that video games can cause epilepsy." Still, the article points out how otherwise normal children who have not yet been diagnosed with epilepsy can have scary, violent, seemingly unexplained fits when exposed to certain games.Research shows that while 1 in 200 people have some form of epilepsy, only about 1 in 4,000 have the photosensitive type that can be triggered by video games. That might not sound like much, but multiplied over tens of millions of video game players it adds up to thousands of people who are potentially susceptible.ETDP has some suggestions for preventing the risk of seizure, including playing in a well lit room and playing for shorter periods of time. NIH suggests that TVs running at 100 Hertz won't induce seizures, and that some children simply outgrow the problem as they get older. In short, while video game-induced epilepsy is something to keep an eye out for, it's not something to be overly panicked about.
