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Smart pillow for people with epilepsy

Miriam Bohnenkämper and Or Shachar developed a concept for a smart pillow for people with tonic-clonic epileptic seizures. The pillow aims to detect seizures and prevent the so-called ‚SUDEP‘ (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) while sleeping.

The pillow uses different sensors to detect seizures and their indicators. They are linked to an app which allows the user to send out an automatic alarm to a person of trust or in the room itself. 3D mesh textiles inside the pillow reduce the danger of suffocation. Additional self-inflating areas protect the head.

By using a pillow, the user is flexible. Pillows suggest feelings of comfort and security and, unlike other existing epilepsy products, they will not be perceived as a foreign body. The smart pillow will be especially useful for children.

Miriam Bohnenkämper and Or Sharchar

Miriam Bohnenkämper was born in 1990 in Brilon and lives in London. She studied industrial design in Pforzheim at the Faculty of Design and also at the Bezalel Academy for Art & Design. Furthermore, she has a master’s degree in design and innovation from Goldsmiths University, London. She specialized in toy and product design. Her products have already been exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair and the London Design Festival.

Or Shachar was born in Ramat-David in Israel in 1988 and lives in Jerusalem. He studied industrial design at the Bezalel Academy for Art & Design and the Folkwang University in Essen. After his bachelor’s degree he worked as a transport and industrial designer. Furthermore he teaches design sketching techniques at a preparatory school for academic studies.