EP-4736763-A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF SENSORY ISSUES

EP4736763A1EP 4736763 A1EP4736763 A1EP 4736763A1EP-4736763-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for detecting and preventing sensory issues in a user, especially a user with a sensory processing disorder, the system comprising at least one wearable sensor and a control unit, said control unit having access to a sensory phenotype of the user, said at least one sensor providing at least environmental information to said control unit and/or said control unit having access to a mental state model of the user, system wherein, based at least on said sensory phenotype and the mental model of the user and/or the environmental information provided by the sensor, the control unit is configured to compute the probability of a sensory issue occurring for the user and to at least send a detection warning in the case of said probability being above a predefined value.

Inventors

SEGOVIA MARTINE, Manuel
LOPEZ, ALEJANDRO
KAYZER, Hendrik

Assignees

Origenes

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20241030

Claims (15)

System for detecting and preventing sensory issues in a user, especially a user with a sensory processing disorder, the system comprising at least one wearable sensor and a control unit, said control unit having access to a sensory phenotype of the user, said at least one sensor providing at least environmental information to said control unit and/or said control unit having access to a mental state model of the user, system wherein, based at least on said sensory phenotype and the mental model of the user and/or the environmental information provided by the sensor, the control unit is configured to compute the probability of a sensory issue occurring for the user and to at least send a detection warning in the case of said probability being above a predefined value.
System according to claim 1, comprising several wearable environmental sensors, especially head-worn sensors, especially chosen from acoustic sensors and/or microphones, light and/or brightness sensors, cameras, thermometers, or humidity sensors.
System according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one body or mind sensor, especially chosen from sensors pertaining to the activity of the heart, for example electrocardiogram or photo-plethysmography, the activity of the sweat glands during emotional arousal or stress, for example electro-dermal activity or galvanic skin response, the body temperature, the body posture, for example via inertial measurement units, and the activity of the brain, for example via electroencephalography or functional near infrared spectroscopy.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mental state model consists of a scale of several variables, especially arousal, valence, awareness, acute stress, engagement and mental workload, said variables being especially determined by body or mind sensors.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit comprises a user interface to provide information to the user, the user providing also feedback or subjective evaluation of their actual mental state model to the system which then learns from that feedback.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sensory phenotype of the user is characterized by a qualified professional for an initial fitting and/or the sensory phenotype is defined by the user for an initial fitting, the system then self-learning and fine-tuning the fitting as it is used by the user and/or the system being fine-tuned by the user during use.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the characterization of the sensory phenotype is performed by monitoring the response of the user to several sensory stimuli, especially light, image, sound, taste, smell, touch, and proprioception, at different levels until discomfort or an inability to cope with these stimuli or a combination thereof is registered, said monitoring being performed by using physiological sensors, measuring especially heart rate, skin conductance, pupil dilation, brain activity and by ecological momentary assessment annotations from the user or a qualified professional.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, in the case where the computed probability of a sensory issue is above a predefined value, at least one wearable actuator is available to the system and to the user to manipulate the at least one sensory input responsible for the detected sensory issue.
System according to any of the preceding claims, being configured so that at least one wearable actuator is available to the user in order to manipulate at least one sensory input.
System according to any of the preceding claims, being configured to manipulate automatically at least one predefined stimuli according to the phenotype of the user, using at least one wearable actuator configured to manipulate incoming sensory input by using the required transformation of the sensory input, computed by the control unit.
System according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the actuator has several action modes to reduce the incidence of the sensory issue, especially amplify, attenuate, transform, modulate, mask, cancel, substitute, block.
System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mental state model and the phenotype are included in an embedded system of the control unit or are remote, especially accessible on the Internet.
System according to any of the preceding claims, configured to send a warning in the case of said probability being above a predefined value to the user, a caretaker or a member of the family of said user.
Method for detecting and preventing sensory issues in a user, especially a user with a sensory processing disorder, the method using a system comprising at least one wearable sensor and a control unit, said control unit having access to a phenotype of the user, said at least one sensor providing at least environmental information to said control unit and/or said control unit having access to a mental state model of the user, the method comprising at least the steps of: - based at least on said phenotype and the mental model of the user and/or the environmental information provided by the sensor, the control unit computes the probability of a sensory issue occurring for the user, and - the control unit at least sends a detection warning in the case of said probability being above a predefined value.
Computer program product for detecting and preventing sensory issues, the computer program product comprising a support and stored on this support instructions that can be read by a processor, these instructions being configured to perform the steps of the method according to the preceding claim.

Description

Technical field The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting and preventing sensory issues in a user, especially a user with a sensory processing disorder. Prior art Sensory processing disorder (SPD), also known as sensory integration dysfunction, is a condition where multisensory integration is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment. Sensory processing disorder is present in almost all people with autism spectrum disorders. Individuals with SPD can display episodic sensory issues, such as meltdowns or sensory processing overflows, which are mental lockdowns caused by too much sensory input. They are generally triggered by a variety of factors such as stress, social demands, frustration, embarrassment, challenges with communication, emotional triggers, overwhelming aversive sensory stimuli, etc. The sensory issues related to SPD can be classified as: sensory over-responsiveness: the user is reacting beyond expected to a stimulus,sensory under-responsiveness: no reaction or little reaction to a stimulus,sensory craving: the user looks at a specific stimulus with an exaggerated manner,sensory overload or processing overflow: the user's neural system is overwhelmed by the stimuli and exceeds the capability to process and store it, leading to irritation, discomfort and possible meltdown. These meltdowns are preceded by a pre-meltdown stage, where the individual experiences an increase in agitation, which is also referred to as the rumbling stage. There are several types of interventions that could be implemented in the rumbling stage, wherein such interventions could diminish the meltdowns, both in frequency and severity. For example, removing an individual from a stressful environment, redirecting the individual towards a routine type of activity, moving the individual to a place with a specific structure, can reduce the meltdown intensity or eliminate it altogether. However, these conventional interventions require a caretaker to perform, and are effective only if the caretaker recognizes the rumbling stage. The rumbling stage can be characterized by behaviors which can vary greatly from one individual to another, and at times may appear to be minor such as nail biting, tensing muscles, or otherwise indicating discomfort; all of which can be inadvertently missed by a caretaker. Thus, there is an ongoing need to develop methods for recognizing pre-meltdown behaviors, as well as methods of intervening in pre-meltdown behaviors in order to decrease meltdown incidence and/or severity. Patent application US 2024/0000342 describes a method for decreasing meltdown incidence and severity in neurodevelopmental disorders. Sensor data is acquired from sensors worn by a subject (motion data, sound data, physiological data) and compared with target data. The method determines if the sensor data is equal to or exceeds the target data. If needed, audible sound therapy is delivered to the subject, with an audio soundtrack familiar to the subject. The audio soundtrack is repeated at least until it is determined that the target data of the subject exceeds the sensor data. Patent application IN 202121001958 discloses a system for the detection of audio-visual sensory processing disorder, with reduced questionnaire, by using automatic features collected with sensors and facial expressions. The system uses fabric sensors or smart watches to collect body parameters and infrared thermometers to remotely collect temperature. Machine learning is used to analyze the collected data. Patent application IN 202141019019 discloses a system for assisting a person with an autism spectrum disorder. Thanks to this assistant, they can easily understand other people's emotions and can converse better. The user can also opt for only audio or video options as per their feasibility. The user can also look at an analysis over and over again if they have a hard time understanding the emotions. International application WO 2020/014780 describes a system for assessing cognitive function that uses tracked electrical activity of the brain of the individuals in response to a specific sequence of stimuli in generating data sets, which, for example, can be encapsulated as a data structure. The data sets can include tracked specific response types, at various times and amplitudes, including, but not limited to, event related potential signal components. International application WO 2020/203051 discloses a method for estimating a sense that has a high correlation with a mental state of a subject. An acquisition unit acquires information on the activity level of a plurality of sensory areas of the brain of a subject. An estimation unit estimates a sense having a high correlation with a mental state of the subject from among a plurality of types of senses corresponding respectively to the plurality of sensory areas, on the basis of the information of the activity level of each