Agent Unicorn EEG Headgear Detects P300 Neural Signatures in ADHD Children

According to the ADD Resource Center, there are 6.4 million kids in the US with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and those numbers continue to rise. While most of those who have ADHD are given medication to keep the disorder in check, more information is needed to gain a better understanding of what environmental cues tie into the symptomatic problems. Fashion-tech designer Anouk Wipprecht has developed headgear that can monitor when P300 (event-related brain potential signal) waves are triggered.

Agent Unicorn is a 3D-printed wearable that contains eight of G.Tec’s g.SAHARA active dry EEG electrodes (each containing their own signal amplifier), and an 8-megapixel camera, which records video when a P300 event is triggered. While the headgear is designed to look like a unicorn horn, its shape allows the electrodes to be positioned at the correct locations on the skull. On the back of the headpiece is a Raspberry Pi Zero W, which receives a continuous video feed from the camera, and sends a clip wirelessly to a laptop when a P300 event is encountered.

Wipprecht found that the more colorful and weirdly shaped the horn was, the more kids wanted to try it on. Usually, kids with ADHD would have to sit at a clinic to have their brainwaves scanned, while Agent Unicorn can provide the same data in their familiar settings. The headwear is also outfitted with LEDs that can alert caregivers when an episode is triggered, allowing them to highlight those particular moments, giving them greater insight into ADHD symptoms.

Wipprecht explains,“One of the advantages of Agent Unicorn is the chance to gather data when a child is in a mental state closer to that of their day-to-day life, due to the more natural environments that the headpiece can be used in, and the agency it offers children.”