COMmunication and Assessment With Adaptive Realtime Environments

ended

Imagine being able to hear, feel, and think – but not see or move. You cannot communicate in any way, but can hear doctors and family members saying that you are comatose and cannot understand or make decisions. Recent work has shown that this nightmarish situation is a reality for tens of thousands of people worldwide, who have been diagnosed as comatose but may in fact have some ability to understand. More recent work has shown that brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can help with re-assessment of these patients, and can even provide communication. Our Feasibility Assessment in ComaWare Phase I, and other very recent developments, have strongly supported our plan to provide new technology to help these patients. In addition to providing assessment and communication, our new mindBEAGLE prototype will also be able to provide prediction and rehabilitation. This is a highly disruptive technology that will create a new market and buyer group: patients who have been (mis)- diagnosed as unable to communicate. These persons, and their physicians and families, will be very highly motivated to convey their basic needs and desires, and seek rehabilitation to regain some cognitive and motor function. In addition to creating a new mindBEAGLE-Pro system specialized for severely disabled persons without vision, we will also develop, pilot-test, and launch a novel business focused on providing support for patients, their carers and clinicians. This evaluation will support our Commercialization Plan, along with user, market and IP research, targeted surveys of end users, business experts, researchers and other groups, Workshop Tours, and other activities. Our efforts will be supported by a strong Advisory Board and subcontractors with specific, targeted expertise. Overall, ComaWare will create a paradigm shift in assessment and treatment of persons diagnosed with disorders of consciousness.