1989 – 1993
March 1, 2023
Article of the Month – March 2023
March 1, 2023SEIZALARM
The Beginning
Greg Pabst, diagnosed with epilepsy in 2006, had the idea that gave birth to this device in early 2015, shortly after the Apple Watch was released to the market. Greg, who had auras several times a week, always wanted a quick way to signal for help in case one of his auras progressed to a tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure. Greg experienced some setbacks in treating his condition in late 2014, requiring new rounds of tests and evaluations.
Greg and his neurologist were talking about existing services for people with epilepsy. When his neurologist mentioned that it was only a matter of time before someone created an Apple Watch app, he realized it should be him. Greg began researching existing services and quickly discovered that none had iPhone support at the time, as most were focused on Android devices and were very limited. Furthermore, most services required hardware, which was an extra cost. Because iPhones account for a vast proportion of smartphones worldwide, Greg was surprised to discover a void in this market. His goal was to create SeizAlarm as an app that did not require custom hardware so that users could use the service without incurring additional costs.
The Apple Watch would provide users with quick access to the app’s help request features, but it was not required.
As a web and mobile application strategist and user experience expert, Greg possessed the necessary skill set to create the initial application design and immediately got to work on the app. He formed a development team with a friend and former colleague, Bryan Heitman, to create the app. SeizAlarm was born three months later and became the first seizure-related iPhone app with Apple Watch support.
Features
The motion sensors on the iPhone and the motion sensors or heart rate sensor on the Apple Watch are used to detect seizures. Sensitivity controls enable customized settings that are unique for each person. When a seizure is suspected, emergency contacts are automatically notified via multiple channels (text message, phone call, and email). The user can choose to send help requests manually to emergency contacts depending on their particular condition.
Also available is a manually activated time-delayed help request feature (via the “Time Delayed Help* button) that is helpful for those that have localized seizures (auras) that may turn into generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The user can custom-set the delay time in the settings. When a seizure warning is initiated, the user will see a countdown that can be extended via a button. If the user becomes unresponsive due to a seizure, a help request will be sent once the timer ends. The delay time can be customized in the settings. When the user sends a help request, the contacts will be contacted with GPS coordinates (if available), so they can pinpoint your exact location.
SeizAlarm has become internationally recognized, with a 4.5-star rating (1K+ reviews) on the Apple App Store, and continues to assist many people. The goal is to help users achieve peace of mind.