Dear Supporters and Friends,

We have some exciting news! Today we have officially launched the Embrace subscription plans as well as a new Alert app and Embrace firmware! This is a huge step for us and our Empatica community in reaching the next level of solutions in supporting people with epilepsy.

Current Embracers will automatically start a 30-day free trial today. Download the new Alert app and you’ll be able to try out all of the subscription features. At the end of the trial, should you need more time to decide, you will have the opportunity to extend the trial for an additional month. We want you to have time to be sure which options are best for you.

To further support our existing users, we would like you to have at least the features you’ve had until now regardless of which plan you choose. When you select a plan during the trial period, we’ll also provide you with the Unlimited Caregivers add-on for free. Now let’s further delve into the new features we’ve recently introduced. Here they are:

Rest Mode

Rest Mode is intended to be used during periods of very low physical activity such as reading a book, working at the computer, or taking a nap. The seizure detection algorithm used in this feature is more sensitive. This means that when operating in Rest Mode, Embrace can detect milder seizures that otherwise could have gone undetected. You can turn Rest Mode on and off directly from the Alert app in the Embrace tab. This feature is included in the Standard and Plus subscriptions.

Alert Location

If you activate this feature, your Caregivers will receive a link with your precise GPS location via SMS when Embrace detects a seizure. Knowing where you are during a seizure will help Caregivers find you when you need their help. This feature is included in the Standard and Plus subscriptions.

Seizure History

This feature — formerly known as Seizure Reports — is the log which captures and presents your seizures detected by Embrace and those added manually by you. As you have been able to do until now, you can view, print, and share your Seizure History log with your doctor or others involved in your care. You can access Seizure History directly in your Empatica Account and is accessible to all users.

Seizure Reports

This feature provides details and analysis on the data collected by your Embrace. It will visualize seizures, sleep, and activity data, spot patterns, and also hopefully developing a better understanding of your seizures.* You will be able to review, edit, and print these reports and share them with your doctor for a comprehensive assessment. This feature will be available as part of the Plus subscription, and can also be an add-on to any plan. We are currently completing the design and we’ll share it with you before the end of the Free Trial period for subscriptions.

What’s next?

For current users, we’ll send you in an in-app notification to update your Alert app and Embrace firmware. The sooner you update the more time you will have to try out all the latest features for free.

As for those that recently purchased an Embrace and are waiting for it to arrive, you’ll also receive a 30 day free trial of Plus plan which will activate as soon as you pair your Embrace with your smartphone.

For a recap of what the subscription plans entail, please check out our last blogpost.

Till the next update!

Big hug,

Empatica Team

Disclaimer for US Clients: Embrace is not a medical device in United States. Our clinical trial will test how Embrace and Empatica apps work for convulsive seizure detection in the real-world. Please note that Embrace in the United States is still an investigational device and that you shouldn’t alter your current seizure monitoring practices while using it.

Up Close with the New Alert App! was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Hello everybody,

This special blog post is dedicated to our Embrace Community and to you all, with whom we’d love to share some of the many Embrace Stories we have received during the last months. As mentioned in the past, your feedback matters to our team as precious case study and it matters to fellow Embracers as well.

Furthermore, your stories are fast becoming a valuable contribution in spreading Epilepsy Awareness more broadly. So don’t stop the flow, keep sharing :)

Our brand new website (soon to be launched!) will feature a dedicated page hosting a collection of all the Embrace stories we’ve manage to gather from the online space, whether through email or social media.

Here’s a preview that we hope you’ll love reading just as much as we did.

“We have had our #EmbraceWatch since about the end of September 2016 and it has become a sense of relief for the whole family, including Abbygael who isn’t afraid to talk to people about her watch and reminds you to put it on her!
We had a long wait for the watch but it was well worth it and we’re excited to see what else the watch will be able to do in the future!” — Danielle George.

“We love our #EmbraceWatch! It has brought us peace of mind, especially since his #seizures have occurred while sleeping.

He was scared to be alone, but Embrace comforts him knowing if something happens, we will get an alert to check on him. Thank you to everyone involved in making the Embrace — it’s a game changer!” — Jennifer.

“The #EmbraceWatch has changed our everyday lives for the better. It has made our worries lessen by knowing that no matter where Gianna is, we will know when she is seizing and are able to get to her in time or send help. There have been some serious scares over the years with falls and seizures while she was sleeping and the Embrace has eased our minds.

We are so #grateful for everyone who was involved in the process of creating such a phenomenal piece of #technology!” — Gianna’s mom, Becky.

“My #EmbraceWatch and I are inseparable.
I live in Costa Rica for now and live a busy, active lifestyle. I use it in the pool, during bike riding & walks.

It has brought me a better sense of relief when I’m not with my husband. I love #monitoring the quality of my #sleep and my husband loves that he can be reached during a #seizure episode.

Great things come in small packages — Pura Vida :) Thanks Empatica!” — Karen Carozzi.

Over the next 6 months I’m going to be scaling up my running in preparation for my #LondonMarathon attempt. I am going to be running in the dark for long periods of time on my own, and finally we have a full proof plan.

If I have a #seizure the #EmbraceWatch will let my husband know and he can locate me with a simple find-a-friend location app.

That peace of mind is priceless and will help to make the next months of training a lot less risky.” — Clair Cobbold.

Thank you #EmbraceWatch for peace of mind!

Jack loves his watch and so do I! I love monitoring his sleep.
Having seizures is very difficult but this watch has helped our family feel better about detecting and being alerted when he does have one.

Oh and the positive comments he gets when he wears the watch!” — Caroline (mom) ❤

“The #EmbraceWatch saved my life, and I want everyone, especially those with #seizure disorders, to know about it.

I received my watch on Friday and on Saturday I suffered many grand-mals that lasted up to 40 minutes! The EMS had to use several rescue medications to bring me out of the #seizures. I was in ICU for 3 days and had to be put on a ventilator.

I am most positive that the Embrace saved my life. When my mom was notified that I “needed help”, I had blankets and pillows over my head. #ForeverGrateful” — Morgan McGrath.

More heart-warming Embrace Stories to be published soon!
If you wish to share yours, feel free to write us at support@empatica.com, or post your story on Facebook/Instagram by tagging our page (respectively @Empatica on FB, @empatica_wearables on IG) or the hashtag #EmbraceWatch :)

A big hug,

The Empatica Team

Your Stories for the Epilepsy Community was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dear Supporters and Friends,

Following last month’s post, we’re ready to share more on our latest progress :)

We’re thrilled to announce an important new phase of product development for Empatica, which will improve the Embrace, customize Alert services to the different needs of our community, and ultimately help more people living with Epilepsy.

This is going to be a long message: we’re going to talk about a new Alert app, renewed gratitude for our long-term community and continued support for those of you in need.

We spent the past months working hard to build our vision of improving lives for our existing and future supporters. We especially focused on two fronts: adding a set of new features that you asked for, and making sure you could customize the Alert services to your needs and resources.

The result is the biggest advancement in the Alert App so far, with new features and a customizable experience.

Introducing Empatica Subscriptions

The first phase of Embrace development – which started with our Indiegogo campaign – has been successfully completed with a lot of dedication. We are very grateful to have arrived this far together with you.

We are now moving forward on our roadmap: providing world’s best seizure detection, intuitive interactions with your Caregivers, and eventually the ability to forecast seizures. We are embarking on a new stage of development, for which the implementation of a subscription model is required.

As you know, we had planned to introduce Alert subscriptions with the official launch of the Embrace last year. We did not forget the patience you showed while waiting for the device, so we decided instead to give our community more time to use the Embrace. We also used this time to improve the product and design a structure that would offer everyone the ability to select what they need most, without compromising on quality and safety.

The subscriptions will help sustain the Alert service, implement new features and provide a flexible model of plans based on your individual needs.

Not to worry, it will be a gradual introduction: you will be able to test all the services and new features free-of-cost throughout a lengthy free trial period, so that you can better understand what suits you.

We have also designed a few special things for our supporters and the community that have been with us on this journey. Read more on that after the overview below.

Overview

Here are the 3 different plans:

• Lite: Alert your chosen Caregiver or loved one, who will be immediately notified in case you have a seizure. The goal is to provide a sense of freedom and independence, and peace of mind to your family. This is the most affordable plan, and we designed it to allow as many epilepsy patients as possible to benefit from seizure detection and alerting
• Standard: Simultaneously alert 3 different Caregivers. They are notified by an SMS and an automatic phone call via the Alert app upon the detection of a convulsive seizure. In addition, your Caregivers will receive your precise GPS location allowing them to request help directly where you are. This plan will also include a powerful feature: “Rest Mode” — allowing you to adapt Embrace’s seizure detection capabilities to your daily routine.
• Plus: Simultaneously alert an unlimited number of Caregivers. You will benefit from the alert SMS with location (Your Location) and the adjustable seizure detection sensitivity (Rest Mode) as per the Standard Plan. This enhanced plan will also include summarized monthly reports capturing your seizures, rest and physical activity. This ground-breaking feature stems from our years of work in data analytics, and it is the basis of our future work on seizure forecast.

Fast facts about the subscriptions

Add-ons

You can customize your plan by purchasing any of the additional features below:

• Unlimited Caregivers: simultaneously notify as many Caregivers as you’d like when Embrace detects a convulsive seizure.
• Review and export monthly reports: View a summarized report capturing your seizures, rest and physical activity. Review, edit and print each report and share it with your doctor for a comprehensive assessment of the data gathered by your Embrace. This specific feature will be integrated over the next month.

We worked on these add-ons to ensure you can tailor a subscription to your needs. For example, you can select the Lite Subscription Plan and choose to have unlimited Caregivers or monthly reports.

Free download

The Alert and Mate apps will still be free to download from both the Apple Store and Google Play Store.

Free services

Manual seizure logging, activity and sleep monitoring on the Mate app will be accessible free-of-cost!

Extended free trial

When you add your payment details during the sign-up, your free trial will automatically be extended by one more month!

2 months off on annual plans

You can choose between monthly and annual plans; with the yearly option you will receive 12 months of service for the cost of 10 months.

What’s Next

The alert SMS with location (Your Location) and the adjustable seizure detection sensitivity (Rest Mode) are the two “most-wanted” new features, that have been released today with the latest version of the Alert app.
By upgrading to version 3.0.3 you will be able to start exploring right away all the new features, before the official 1-month trial will begin.

The launch of the subscriptions will mark the start of the free trial — estimated for late June.

Supporting the Community

We’ll never stop offering solutions to support you.

All current users and long-time supporters will only have to pay for the Lite plan to maintain their current level of service, including Unlimited Caregivers. If instead you wish to access the newly introduced features, you will have the advantage of choosing your favorite plan while keeping the “Unlimited Caregivers” add-on free of cost! The only requirement to claim this privileged offer is to simply sign up during the free trial.

All the 1540 people who have received the Embrace Watch through a donation (thanks to our early supporters, the generosity of our private donors and the support of the Epilepsy Foundation) will be entitled to access the services of the Standard plan free-of-cost for the first 6 months.

We’ve also worked hard to ensure we could apply a special “Buy one, Give One” campaign!

As you might remember, we’ve worked on a similar donation initiative during our crowdfunding campaign, and you should be proud of what we accomplished with your support: over 1,500 Embraces were donated. By subscribing to the Plus plan, Empatica and you will cover a Standard subscription for one of these families in need – chosen by the Epilepsy Foundation – to receive the donated Embrace watches.

This important initiative will contribute to making a real difference, and we hope it will go a long way to support more people living with epilepsy.

We will be back soon with a new post to get up close with the newly released Alert features. Stay tuned!

A big hug,

The Empatica Team

The Empatica Subscriptions Are Here! was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Hello everyone!

We’re happy to be back with a new post, filled with exciting updates, interesting facts and good vibes for you all: core supporters, new users, Embracers to-be and, yes, even you who might have just landed on this page out of curiosity.

Our last post reached you on Valentine’s Day and significant progress has been made since then.

Spring is in full bloom now, and so are our developments!

Let’s start from the devices.

You’ll be pleased to know that a new improved battery is on its way. You won’t need to purchase a new Embrace because your current Embrace will just become smarter in using its battery. This is the result of a constant effort in optimizing how the device can preserve the battery capacity.

The improvements have been extended to the charger as well. In fact, we’ve been very determined to solve any possible issue you happened to encounter. We’ve collected all the precious feedback sent by many Embracers, we’ve reached out to them and established a close collaboration aimed to built a more robust charger, able to work with all power supply types and sizes.
Our mantra throughout the process? “Slow charging no more”.

Something else will get a makeover too: bands! We’ve identified a new band material with stronger properties and an improved comfortable feel. In response to the request of XL-size bands, we’re glad to inform you that a longer version of our black and blue bands will be available in just one month!

Shifting into the software sphere now…

A newly optimized user Interface for the Alert app will see the light of day next week. Stay tuned for the release ;)
Our passionate development team has also worked on reaching new heights in the bluetooth connectivity and the overall stability.

We’d like to wrap-up this week’s tech bulletin with some interesting data we’ve reported in the abstract submitted to the International congress on mobile health devices and seizure detection on epilepsy (Copenaghen): “Real-time seizure detection performance with Embrace alert system: one year real-life setting case study”.

We monitored a patient in real life settings over a period of 341 days: the patient wore Embrace 17,5±3,5 hours per day and experienced 46 convulsive seizures (CSs).
The watch detected 96 events, of which 45 were CSs, all successfully transmitted to the phone and to the online database. False alarm rate: 0.14 per day worn. In 315 out of 341 days (92%) there were no false alarms.

Your story for a good cause

Your Embrace Stories have conquered not just our hearts but also the attention of the Embrace Community at-large.

They matter to our team as precious case studies and they do matter to fellow Embracers as well.

Above all, we see your stories as valuable contribution in spreading #EpilepsyAwareness more broadly.

So much so that we’ve decided to open a new dedicated page (coming soon) on our website, hosting a collection of all the Embrace stories constantly coming in, whether via email or social media.

We’ll be also publishing a summary of the latest stories in a bi-weekly blog post, just to keep you up to speed ;)

Here’s a sneak peek of Maria’s story:

“This is my son Noah, born with Hydrocephalus. He has had many challenges in his 3 years of life. His first seizure was shortly after his 2nd birthday while napping. Since then all I did was stress mentally over if I would be near him again if he had another seizure. Luckily I was.
His 2nd seizure lasted over 7 min causing temporary paralysis.
As a parent there’s nothing worse than seeing your baby experience something so scary and dangerous, not knowing what the outcome will be. I spent months searching for something to help. When I found Empatica I knew the Embrace Watch was just what we needed. My stress level has gone way down and I sleep better knowing we have this device. Noah loves his Embrace and never wants to take it off.
Now, almost 4 years old, he tells people ‘My watch is special, it keeps me connected to mommy and daddy, it keeps me safe.’ ” - Maria Spicer.

New important updates to be released soon! ;)

A big hug,

The Empatica Team

Spring Progress! was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A big hug from all of us wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day! Love is a strong emotion, which when transcribed can have different meanings and ways of expression. One such translation could be quoted as ‘care’. What better an opportunity than Valentine’s day to bring you a surprise!

On account of Epilepsy day and Valentine’s day, here’s your chance to showcase your creativity and win an Embrace!

You heard us right! The contest is really simple:

1. Replicate the heart of the Empatica logo in the most creative way. Get artsy and let your creative juices flow: drawings, design, nature or anything else that comes to mind
2. Once you have your art ready, attach the picture on our Facebook post tagging two of your friends
3. Then share our Facebook post on your Timeline.

From the amazing lot that we receive, we will pick the ‘cream of the crop’. The following are the rules of participation. Start sending us your work!

Send your artwork here

Embrace Contest Rules

• The contest is being run by Empatica.
• You must be at least 18 years old to participate.
• The winner will receive an Embrace watch (the winner will decide the favorite color) for the commercial value of 249$
• The opening date for this contest is Tuesday 14th of February 2017.
• The closing date for entry to this contest is Wednesday 22nd of February 2017 at 8 AM UTC (12 AM PST, 3 AM EST).
• One participant can add just 1 picture for the contest.
• No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win.
• The winner will be decided based on the number of likes on the comments appearing on Empatica’s Facebook post (link) and Empatica will pick the most creative idea amongst these.
• The winner will be informed on Thursday 23rd of February 2017 and will be announced on Empatica’s Facebook page.
• Empatica employees and their families are not eligible to participate in the contest.

By commenting with your photos on Empatica’s Facebook post you’re granting permission for these images to be used by Empatica. By submitting your photo you understand and agree that Empatica has no obligation to publish your photo. You must be the author/copyright holder of all images submitted.

This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Empatica and not to Facebook. The information you provide will be used for this competition only and will not be shared with any other party outside Empatica.

Get creative to win an Embrace was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re back with some interesting news!

From the inception of the Embrace journey, we’ve been receiving invaluable feedback from you on how we could make your experience with the device smooth and hassle-free. At Empatica we’re firm believers in the mantra “knowledge is power”, however being in the know shouldn’t feel like a scavenger hunt. So to echo the tune of New Year resolutions and evolutions, we decided to give our support center some pampering. Ok, a lot of pampering. We aim to ensure that you have necessary reinforcements for resolutions in just a few clicks! With this intention, we’ve revamped our support material, creating new content, focusing on the pain-points, to present to you a new, restructured Embrace support center that is both more accessible and easy to navigate through.

This page will now be your very own virtual support space that will help you with swift solutions and quick fixes, even before our support team intervenes. To have a clear distinction amongst the abundance of information available, we’ve broken down the support center into different categories. Everything from what you need to know before buying the Embrace, to receiving it, setting it up and troubleshooting issues for hassle-free usage, has been complied in these sections.

Well, let’s not keep you waiting any more. Click away to explore the newbies on the support centre page. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store:

Before You Buy

This section contains information about Embrace and its functions. Research and medical inquiries are also addressed in this part. Here’s one article from this category that may interest you: How does Embrace work? Intro on the Embrace.

Specs and Maintenance

The know-hows of Embrace’s specifications, its cool features and its maintenance are all listed in this category. Do you know about our charging tips? If not, check out this nifty article: How do I charge my Embrace watch?

Orders and Shipments

Post-purchase and antsy for delivery? All you have to do is skim through the neat articles in this section. Let’s see the most sought out one amongst these: How can I buy the Embrace watch?

Getting started

Now that you have your Embrace, the next step is to unbox it and put it to use. Here’s where you will find all the information imperative to setting up your Embrace. We could start browsing this category from the article: How can I set up my Embrace watch?

Troubleshooting

Although we want your Embrace to work without any obstacles, no device is perfect! Do not worry; we’ve got your back. This segment has troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue at hand. One such article is: How can I check if my Embrace is working properly?

Ok, but enough hype, make the meander for yourself and let us know what you think! Browse through the Embrace Community page to share your thoughts and feedback. Aside from the support center, the communities page is another space to find your answers; simply post your queries and our Embrace gurus will pitch in to guide you. Of course, you could, at anytime, feel free to write to us on support@empatica.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Happy Surfing!

Empatica Team

A Brand New Support Site for you! was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dear Supporters,

It’s that time of the year when we deck the halls and the streets in an array of green, red, white and lots of lights! A time when we kick back, relax and enjoy the company of friends and family.

This is the time for us to think about our supporters and to give you useful gifts before Christmas!

Building a product like the Embrace was a daunting task and the first time we had such a large audience. We faced countless issues, challenges and delays. Thanks to your constant presence and support, we were able to overcome these hurdles. In fact your feedback, comments and suggestions made us realize how much this product is needed.

In the future, we’ll continue working with you. In fact, we’ve just carried out a survey among our current Embrace users to better understand your needs. From the many things that we’ve learnt from this survey, we found a loud signal in two particular areas: stress monitoring and being able to adjust seizure detection sensitivity. Both features present many challenges to overcome, but we are working on it (many among us even during the Holidays)!

Now, it’s time for the gift!

Many of you asked for a better way to display the seizures detected by the Embrace to your doctors instead of taking screenshots of the Alert app. We listened and the result is a brand-new feature in your Empatica Account!

Now, you can access your monthly seizure report, review each seizure, print it out and show it to your doctor.

We would like to know what you think and how we can improve it, please fill out the survey at the bottom of the page to communicate with us.

Go to your Monthly Seizure Report here

As the year comes to an end and you look back in time, we think you should be proud of yourself. In the future, when people use Embrace and the technologies derived from it, you can say you were there from the start. You supported it! You believed in this project and put your trust in us.

We are thankful to you for giving us the opportunity and responsibility to work on something as meaningful and useful; something that can truly improve the lives of many people.

Happy Holidays!

The merry team at Empatica

Happy Holidays from the Empatica Team was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dear supporters,

First of all happy Thanksgiving!

Our gratitude goes to all of you, for your amazing support throughout the past year.

We’ve come a long way together: from testing Embrace betas and solving glitches to a product that is officially a medical device in the EU, and in the process of FDA clearance in the US. A product which is now available to ship immediately and, above all, ready to help your loved ones!

We know how critical and precious this device is for you, or else we wouldn’t be here, working passionately on improving and constantly striving for the best standards.

And so, we have decided to celebrate this festive time by allowing all the new customers to access #Embrace initial price and save a good 20% with all the orders that will be placed over the next 10 days!

Until this December 5, the device will continue to be sold at $199, as per the pre-release price offered since 2014.

The product has now evolved from refined prototype to solid device, with a gold CE medical certification, and the initial price offered on the occasion of the crowdfunding campaign won’t be available much longer.

The reason why we’re writing you today is to encourage you to take advantage of the next 10 days! Those of you who wish to purchase the Embrace, and receive it by Christmas, will be able to buy it at a reduced cost!

Thanks to constant hard work, the Embrace has been officially launched in the market, with an efficient production and distribution system behind it. The most rewarding aspect for us was receiving all the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our users — a few of which can be read on Empatica’s Facebook page.

After December 5, we’ll be shifting to an official retail price of $ 249 (and similarly £ 249 in the UK and € 249 in Europe). But despite the transition our company is undertaking, and which is healthily related to its growth, we’re proud to have managed to keep the Embrace’s price lower than all other options for this application available in the market.

In addition, we would also like to announce that it is now possible to request that your health insurance reimburse Embrace. You can read more in our support article: How can I ask for a reimbursement for my Embrace?. Please keep in mind that the material provided does not guarantee the certainty of reimbursement since different insurance companies reason in different ways.

As well as providing the best value, we also strive to be the most superior product available to patients with Epilepsy (well the cutest too :P). This is why we are investing all our resources to create a subscription model that is flexible and can accommodate all feature requests we get from you.

We’ll be back soon with more details on that. We want to reassure you that we will have different tiers of service. You’ll be able to choose between monthly or discounted yearly plans. We are building a basic plan which will be the most affordable and a premium plan for those that would like greater access to more features and options.

We hope that you enjoy this holiday with your loved ones. And we thank you once again with all our heart for your constant support and encouragement.

Empatica Team

Lowest price ever on Embrace! For 10 more days was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dear supporters,

Today we want to share with you one of the most interesting webinars hosted so far: the Ask Me Anything with Dr. Rosalind Picard, Empatica’s Chief Scientist and MIT Professor. During the recording of the webinar we were impressed by the quality and quantity of the questions received, so we decided to transcribe the answers and make them available for everyone on our blog. Make yourself comfortable, this is a long post.

Please remember that Embrace is a medical product for seizure monitoring only in Europe so far — the discussion below about seizures pertains to our ongoing scientific work and to the detection algorithm. For users in the United States, that is available only as part of a clinical trial using the Alert app.

Yes, you read correctly: Embrace is a medical device in the European Union!

How does Embrace’s seizure detection work?

The Embrace measures three main kinds of data: movement, electrodermal activity (shortened as EDA — represents the electrical changes on the surface of the skin not necessarily involving sweat) and peripheral temperature. You can read more about Embrace specifications here.

Devices on the market usually use two pieces of information: how strong and how long you’re moving. Instead Embrace uses more complex information, combining a lot of aspects of the movement, and completely novel information, electrodermal activity variations that start when regions deep in your brain are activated in an atypical way (as with seizures). Our algorithm uses advanced machine learning methods, and it is trained on data collected in epilepsy monitoring units in hospitals in order to recognize the complex patterns of movements and electrodermal activity that are most likely to accompany a convulsive seizure.

How accurate is the Embrace’s seizure detection algorithm?

We’re committed to presenting our work in top scientific meetings and journals. Most recently we presented results in posters (you can download here) at the Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME) Meeting in Virginia and at the Annual Epilepsy Meeting in Prague. We will be presenting new case study results at the American Epilepsy Society meeting in December in Houston.

To test the accuracy of our seizure detection algorithm we use a dataset of hundreds of verified seizures from epilepsy monitoring units. Using this set we can observe different rates of sensitivity, namely the percentage of correctly detected seizures. One challenge is that the more sensitive a method is to detect true seizures, the higher chance it will also detect false alarms (things that look like a seizure to the sensors, but aren’t). Thus, the higher range of sensitivity we set, the more false alarms we have to be willing to tolerate. In the PAME meeting we obtained up to 100% sensitivity with an average false alarm rate of less than one a day. At the Prague meeting, testing on a different set of data, we showed that we were able to reach 90% sensitivity of convulsive seizure detection with an average of 1 false alarm/day, and 95% sensitivity with an average of 2 false alarms a day. When we pushed the sensitivity higher (to 100%) then, on average, there were 5.7 false alarms/day. In other work with new data at Empatica, we are reaching 95% sensitivity with fewer than 2 false alarms over ten days, on average. Results can thus vary a lot: for some people false alarms are rare, while for others they may occur more frequently throughout their day.

Can I adjust Embrace’s sensitivity for my special case?

At this moment it is not possible, but it’s something that we are looking into. Embrace now uses one algorithm for seizure detection and we’re continuously improving it. We’re working to get this algorithm approved by the FDA. What we hope is that several algorithms will be approved, or several tuning parameters for one algorithm, so that everyone could use the most effective sensitivity level for themselves.

Can you improve the accuracy from my data?

We’re continuously working to improve the accuracy of our algorithm while we collect seizure data. When you label a false alarm (if you agreed to participate in the clinical trial) it helps us to improve it! Additionally make sure to label all your seizures with the time that they happen, even if Embrace misses them. Just add them to the diary in the Mate app.

Each time you download the newest version of the app and firmware you will get the most up-to-date and most accurate new version of the algorithm.

What affects Electrodermal Activity (EDA)?

There are lots of things that can lead to high EDA, such as anything that makes you sweat (sports, excitement, stress). We’re analyzing characteristic EDA signatures during seizures so we can decrease the number of false alarms which can be caused by different situations like when people are excited, clapping, jumping up and down, or playing drums.

Electrodermal activity is affected by skin hydration, placement and other biochemical factors inside you. We’ve carefully designed our algorithm to set precedence for values that are invariable and not subject to change as your daily hydration levels vary. While we think it’s good to drink a lot of water and keep your skin moisturized, not everybody does those things, and we still want Embrace to work for everyone.

There are some medications that interact with the electrodermal activity and some people have extremely low electrodermal activity level. Our bodies are very complex, and with so many things changing every day, it can happen that sometimes Embrace will detect convulsive seizures and other times not.

Will the Embrace be able to detect other types of seizures besides tonic-clonic?

The current algorithm is only designed to detect convulsive seizures. It’s hard for us to say exactly what Embrace will or won’t detect in the future, as we need a lot more data and testing first. For now our priority is to focus on accurately detecting tonic-clonic seizures but we would like to develop some studies in other directions.

For instance, we discovered during tests in the Boston Children’s and Brigham and Women’s hospitals that electrodermal activity rises significantly from 42% to 86% of complex partial seizures. However, since many things make electrodermal activity rise, and complex partial seizures do not have a convulsive motor component, a detector that uses only these data is likely to have a lot of false alarms. The data measured by Embrace usually does not have a significant response with absence or with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, although there are some exceptions.

Can the Embrace predict seizures?

We are not able to predict seizures today. Embrace can only detect events that involve both unusual motor activity and electrodermal changes. This is an area we’re extremely interested in. We will let you know if in the future it will be possible but it is something that is going to require much more time, research and lots of data. You can read more: Can Embrace prevent seizures?

On which wrist should I wear my Embrace?

We recommend wearing Embrace on the wrist that generates the most movement during seizures. Movement is an important part of what we measure so for example if you sleep on your right side and both arms tend to move during the seizure we would recommend to put it on your left side. Try to wear it where you’re less likely to be lying on top of it because it can block also the Bluetooth signal. If both arms are equally likely to move during your convulsive seizures, then start out by putting it on the side that is your non-dominant hand (e.g. put it on your left wrist if you are right-handed.) You can also read this discussion in our community.

What’s next for Empatica’s research team?

We’re working on adding an app to vibrate the Embrace when the EDA goes up to certain levels and it could be very interesting for whom interested in anxiety and stress monitoring. We’re committed to getting that to you, so you can learn more about how your EDA changes with your stress. We would like to release it by late December, in time for your new year’s resolutions! In the meantime, stay tuned for the release of the Mate app to look at your sleep and physical activity patterns. We welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can help make Embrace a helpful and pleasing experience for you.

We hope this post has provided a deeper understanding of Embrace’s functionalities and the research behind the device. Should you have any additional questions, please visit our newly launched Community forum and take part in the conversation :)

We would also like to hear from you which topics you’d like us to cover in our future webinars (you can register here!); this will help us meet your expectations and improve the overall webinar experience too.

Thanks so much in advance for your precious cooperation. We look forward to engaging with you all on the Embrace Community forum!

The Empatica Team

Interview with Rosalind Picard — Behind Empatica’s Research was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dear supporters,

We’re incredibly happy to announce the launch of our official Embrace Community!
It’s a special space, created just for you, where you’ll be able to meet, chat and interact with Embrace users from all over the world. You will have the opportunity to share your feedback, ask questions, contribute with your proposals and help others with your tips.
While the remaining Embrace shipments are all proceeding according to plan, we would also like to offer you a brief collection of the reviews received so far.
Enjoy the read!

Meet the Empatica Team LIVE

The first webinars were a great experience for the attendees and for us all in the team. We learned a lot about you and we hope you learned a lot too about the Embrace watch.
We’re really grateful for your active participation so far and look forward to interacting with even more users in the upcoming sessions!
We are LIVE every Wednesday at 9:30 AM PST /12:30 PM EST from our Milan HQ. You can join us online or dial-in with your questions, doubts and concerns. We’ll be there for you.

The Embrace Community is now open: come to say hi :)

We’ve carefully listened to all your requests over the last months.
Many of you asked to know more about the other Embrace users and their experience with the device. Others have asked to be educated on the Embrace watch, and learn more about its use, its technology and the next developments.
We’ve also been super pleased to hear about some hardcore customers that have already figured out everything about the Embrace and are very motivated to support other users in discovering the device. If you fancy to meet these true “Embrace Gurus” and other fellow users, our newly launched community is the place to be!

Here’s a summary of the proposed topics:

• Feedbacks & Suggestions: Share your thoughts about the Embrace, Alert and Mate. Suggest how we can improve your experience with our products.
• Daily Tips & Tricks: Get valuable insights from Embrace Gurus or share your tips. The Embrace community will thank you!
• Setup Issues & Troubleshooting: Ask Embrace Gurus or share your knowledge on how you started your day with your Embrace.
• Alert Issues & Troubleshooting: Ask Embrace Gurus or share your knowledge about the Alert.
• Mate Issues & Troubleshooting: Ask to the Embrace Gurus or share your knowledge about the Mate.

Do you have other topics to propose? Add a new post here : )

First Reviews

“The Embrace is impressive! We got another alert this morning, ran to her room and she was face down with a seizure/not breathing! We repositioned her and she is now pink and sleeping.
It’s really a dream come through to be able to be “connected” to her even when not in the same room! Something we never thought would be possible.”

Thank you all for your precious feedback and constant support.
Stay tuned for our next update ;)

The Empatica Team

Launching The Embrace Community was originally published in Empatica Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.