Epilepsy Foundation Launches Indiegogo Campaign to Help Bring Sleep Activity Monitors to Millions of Families Impacted by Nighttime Seizures
Charles Anderson, Winner of Foundation's 2012 Shark Tank Competition, Plans to Build New Generation of 'SAMi'
The Epilepsy Foundation launched a crowd funding campaign this week (www.samialert.com/ef) to help give peace of mind to families of children living with potentially dangerous nighttime seizures.
The SAMi Smart Activity Monitor is an iPhone-based movement detector and potentially life-saving seizure alarm. SAMi, created by Charles Anderson, won the Foundation’s first “Shark Tank” award in 2012, recognizing creativity and innovation in making a difference in a time frame that matters for people living with epilepsy and seizures.
Anderson's invention came from a personal concern that he was unable to detect his son's seizures at night. Anderson, an engineer by trade, first devised a computer system that analyzed images from an infrared camera and detected seizure movements with few false alarms. The prototype system, which incorporates an iPhone, sounds an alarm while recording valuable video and audio information.
“The Epilepsy Foundation is proud to encourage and support innovators like the Andersons who are dedicating themselves to supporting the epilepsy community and improving lives,” said Philip M. Gattone, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. “After winning our 2012 Shark Tank award, Charles and Cynthia Anderson were able to accelerate the development and production of the SAMi 2 camera. With this Indiegogo campaign, we hope to help them get to SAMi 3 which will be mass produced and more affordable to a much larger part of our community.”
The Indiegogo campaign will run through June 13, 2014 with a goal to develop a next generation of the SAMi system. The campaign will get special recognition at the upcoming Epilepsy Pipeline Conference 2014 in San Francisco (June 5-7) where Charles Anderson and representatives of Indiegogo will present to an audience of investors, researchers, innovators and community leaders. Anderson will also kick off the 2014 Shark Tank competition. (For more on the Epilepsy Pipeline Conference 2014: http://bit.ly/PipelineConference)
“The SAMi device can make a difference in the lives of families living with uncontrolled seizures,” said Warren Lammert, Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation. “Charles and Cynthia have taken a personal challenge and need and having addressed that reached outside their family to help our community. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting innovations of all kinds that can improve the lives of people living with epilepsy. This device may help caregivers and individuals with epilepsy to better know about and respond to seizures and to capture video of seizures: better informing their relationship with their doctors and their seizure management.”
Kenneth Lowenberg
Vice President of Communications and Digital Strategy
301.918.3773
klowenberg@efa.org
About Epilepsy
When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they have epilepsy, which affects more than 2 million people in the United States and 65 million people worldwide. This year, another 150,000 people in our country will be diagnosed with epilepsy. Despite all available treatments, four out of 10 people with epilepsy continue to experience uncontrolled seizures while many more experience less than optimal seizure control.
About the Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation, a national non-profit with 48 affiliated organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against seizures since 1968. The Foundation is an unwavering ally for individuals and families impacted by epilepsy and seizures. The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to stop seizures and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy through efforts including education, advocacy and research to accelerate ideas into therapies. The Foundation works to ensure that people with seizures have the opportunity to live their lives to their fullest potential. For additional information, please visit www.epilepsy.com.
“Like” the Epilepsy Foundation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/epilepsyfoundationofamerica and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/epilepsyfdn.
Tags:
