Epilert: The Tunisian Invention Helping People with Epilepsy

In an effort to combat the unpredictability and dangers of sudden epileptic seizures, Tunisian company Epilert launched a bracelet which automatically warns friends and family within thirty seconds of the beginning of a loved one’s epileptic seizure. This high-tech invention is in many ways, revolutionary for the region, and potentially makes strides in ensuring that people with epilepsy get the help they need as quickly as possible, with a quick reaction time being key. 

“Usually, people who have seizures don’t know when one is going to strike. We could see the problem, and wanted to use technology to create a solution,” 25-year-old Epilert co-founder Haroun Moula told Arab News. The company, which partnered with the medical school of Tunis University,  launched in 2017 with little more than a few hundred dollars, and initially hired unpaid graduates and students, who in return received a stake in the company. 

The bracelet monitors the wearer’s heartbeat, temperature, brain activity, as well as various other pieces of physiological data. Additionally, it can detect information on the severity of the seizure, and the exact location of the person. Alerts are sent through SMS messages or a phone call, and the corresponding app allows people with epilepsy to monitor their data, and log their sleep patterns, sex weight, height. They can also log their most recent meals and emotional status, both of which can affect the probability of a seizure and its severity. 

As it stands, the product is undergoing pre-clinical trials and is filing for US regulatory approval, with plans to sell it in the US market, expecting to get the green light at the end of this year. Patients will be able to buy directly from the company, and there are also plans to partner with neurologists specialised in the condition to help promote and spread awareness on the product.