Design Summit Evaluators
BML University, Humanistic Design Summit — challenged the gadget-first framing and pushed toward human-centered design clarity. Their critique was the most valuable feedback the project received.
Research Project 03 / Neurotechnology & Mental Health
NEURO
HEALTH
A functional EEG-based wearable prototype that reads brain wave activity in real time, detects anxiety and stress thresholds using an original algorithm, and automatically alerts parents or guardians via GSM when intervention is needed — with calming audio support built in.
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Video coming soon — Higgsfield
01The Problem
Mental health support before the crisis point — not after it.
Teenage suicide rates are rising across India. Students under academic and societal pressure often show early signs of anxiety and emotional distress that go undetected until it is too late. The problem is not a lack of care — it is a lack of visibility. Mental health challenges are invisible until they are not, and by then the window for easy intervention has often closed.
NeuroHealth is built around one question: what if we could detect stress before it becomes a crisis?
02The Journey
The system uses EEG (electroencephalography) to capture bioelectrical brain signals through scalp electrodes. An original algorithm converts the raw voltage data into calibrated stress thresholds. When signals cross those thresholds, two things happen simultaneously: an automated GSM alert is sent to a parent or guardian, and a calming audio response — including the Gayatri Mantra — plays for the wearer as real-time emotional support.
This is not a concept — it is a built prototype. The hardware stack: Arduino Uno as the microcontroller, EXG Synapse Sensor (EEG channel) for signal capture, scalp electrodes for contact, GSM module for remote alerts, and a wireless audio response system for the calming intervention. The entire system was assembled and tested.
Design summit evaluators at BML University pushed the project away from gadget-first thinking toward human-centered design — asking not just "does it work?" but "who does it actually protect, and how does it make them feel?" That critique made the project significantly better. The result: Excellence in Problem Identification at the Pan India Humanistic Design Summit, with a prize of INR 20,000.
Future development aims to improve signal accuracy, build personalized stress profiles over time, and develop adaptive intervention mechanisms for broader real-world deployment.
Teachers at Springdales
Supported the neurotechnology direction and helped frame the mental health problem in a way that was both scientifically grounded and socially legible.
[ Add name ]
Future neuroscience or mental health technology collaborator — space reserved.
03The Build
Arduino Uno
Microcontroller — the processing core of the wearable. Receives EEG signal data, runs the threshold algorithm, and coordinates alerts and audio response.
EXG Synapse Sensor (EEG Channel)
Captures bioelectrical brain signals via scalp electrodes. Converts biological electrical activity into voltage data that the Arduino can process.
Scalp Electrodes
Physical contact points between the device and the wearer. Placement follows standard EEG electrode positioning for maximum signal quality.
GSM Module
When stress thresholds are crossed, an automated alert is sent to a parent or guardian's phone. No manual trigger required — the system acts on its own.
Wireless Audio Response System
Plays calming audio — including the Gayatri Mantra — for the wearer simultaneously with the GSM alert. Intervention happens at both ends: support for the wearer and awareness for the guardian.
Original Threshold Algorithm
Converts raw EEG voltage data into calibrated stress scores. Compares real-time readings against personalised baselines to determine when intervention is needed.
04The Outcome
- Assembled a functional EEG wearable prototype — Arduino Uno, EXG Synapse Sensor, scalp electrodes, GSM module, and wireless audio system — built and tested end-to-end.
- Wrote an original stress threshold algorithm that converts raw bioelectrical signals into calibrated intervention triggers.
- Designed a dual-response system: simultaneous GSM alert to guardian + calming audio to wearer — addressing both sides of the crisis simultaneously.
- Excellence in Problem Identification — Pan India Humanistic Design Summit, BML University. Prize: INR 20,000.
- Reframed the mental health problem from "access to therapy" to "early detection before the crisis window closes" — a meaningful shift in problem definition.
- Future roadmap defined: improved signal accuracy, personalized stress profiles, and adaptive intervention for broader deployment.