by Isla Weir

I am a product design engineer with a passion for user-centered medical industrial design. I am particularly interested in using colour and form to make medical products more appealing and intuitive for the patient to use. This year my work has focused on wearable bio sensors, and I have enjoyed using CAD surfacing techniques, foam modelling, 3D printing and graphic design techniques to develop my final product, REM Track.

My MEng project documents the design of an at-home diagnostic tool for narcolepsy. The design problem identified was that the electroencephalography (EEG) system for measuring brain activity during polysomnography (PSG) overnight sleep testing is cumbersome, uncomfortable, and time consuming to set up. I was interested in exploring the concept of a ‘reduced EEG system’ that is compact, wearable, and uses a small number of channels to test for specific neurological conditions.

Using key insights from the neurology and sleep departments at the Glasgow Queen Elizabeth and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary hospitals, I designed an overnight home sleep test device for narcolepsy detection. Technical results were used to decide on the most appropriate electrode configuration, key electronic components, and a suitable material. REM Track is worn around the head, and electrode leads are connected according to a colour coded system in the instructions for use (IFU).