Systems, Computer Medium and Computer-Implemented Methods For Monitoring and Improving Cognitive and Emotive Health of Employees

• US 20130012802A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Horseman, Samantha J.
• Application Number:
  US13/540,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/383
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Provided are embodiments of systems, computer medium and computer-implemented methods for monitoring the health of an employee while the employee is located in an employee workstation. A method for monitoring the health of an employee while the employee is located in an employee workstation including collecting health data including neural data collected from one or more neural sensors disposed about the scalp of the employee, determining an employee health profile based at least in part on neural data, the employee health profile comprising one or more of health characteristics, health conditions and health risks for the employee, generating a health plan for the employee based at least in part on the employee health profile, and serving health content, including the employee health profile and the health plan, for display to the employee.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring an employee'"'"'s health while the employee is working at a workstation, the workstation including a computer workstation for use by the employee, the system comprising:

a set of neural sensors in communication with the computer workstation, the neural sensors configured to be disposed about the scalp of the employee for detecting the employee'"'"'s brain activity and configured to output neural sensor data indicative of the employee'"'"'s brain activity detected; and

a database in communication with a communications network and storing health information associated with one or more employees; and

a computer server in communication with the communication network and configured to serve, to the computer workstation for display to the employee, health profile information for the employee, the computer server comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, an input/output (I/O) device interface and a processor, the I/O device interface connecting the computer server to the communications network, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a set of computer readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the computer server to perform the steps of;

collecting, via the communications network, the neural data corresponding to the neural sensor data output by the set of neural sensors;

determining an updated health profile for the employee using the neural data collected, the updated health profile comprising;

health characteristics for the employee including one or more of an emotional state, thoughts, facial movements, and motor functions of the employee determined using the neural data collected; and

a health plan for the employee based on one or more of the health characteristics determined using the neural data collected;

updating the health information stored in the database to reflect the updated health profile for the employee; and

serving, for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the employee.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein collecting, via the communications network, the neural data corresponding to the neural sensor data output by the set of neural sensors comprises:

identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the neural data needs to be collected from the set of neural sensors;

in response to identifying a need to initiate a health test using a predetermined test schedule that specifies times at which the neural data needs to be collected from the set of neural sensors, querying the computer workstation for the neural data corresponding to the health test, the computer workstation being configured to collect the neural data from the set of neural sensors; and

receiving, from the computer workstation and via the communications network, the neural data corresponding to the health test.

3. A system according to claim 1, where the set of neural sensors are provided via a neuro-headset comprising a rigid frame configured to provide for positioning of the neural sensors in discrete locations about the scalp of the employee.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the neuro-headset comprises a neuro-headset controller configured to:

receive the neural sensor data output by one or more of the neural sensors of the neuro-headset; and

transmit, to the computer workstation, neural data corresponding to the received neural sensor data,

wherein the computer workstation is configured to transmit neural data corresponding to the neural data received to the computer server.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the neuro-headset controller is wirelessly connected to the computer workstation, and wherein the neural data corresponding to the received neural sensor data is transmitted from the neuro-headset controller to the computer workstation via the wireless connection.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the set of neural sensors are disposed in a head support surface of a headrest of a chair, wherein the head support surface is configured to support the back of the employee'"'"'s head when the employee is seated in the chair.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the set of neural sensors comprise dry electrodes.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein determining an updated health profile for the employee using the neural data collected comprises determining one or more of the emotional state, cognitive thoughts, subconscious thoughts, intent, facial expressions, and the motor functions of the employee using the neural data collected.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein determining an updated health profile for the employee using the neural data collected comprises determining a risk for depression of the employee based on one or more of the emotional state, the cognitive thoughts, the subconscious thoughts, the intent, the facial expressions, and the motor functions of the employee determined using the neural data collected.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein determining an updated health profile for the employee using the neural data collected comprises determining a risk for physical fatigue of the employee based on one or more of the emotional state, the cognitive thoughts, the subconscious thoughts, the intent, the facial expressions, and the motor functions of the employee determined using the neural data collected.

11. A system according to claim 1, the computer readable instructions executable by the processor to cause the computer server to further perform the steps of:

determining an intent of the employee based on the neural data collected;

predicting an action intended to be taken by the employee corresponding to the determined intent; and

automating the action such that a result of the action occurs without the employee having to physically perform the action.

12. A system for monitoring the health of an employee while the employee is located in an employee workstation, the system comprising:

the employee workstation comprising;

an employee computer; and

a plurality of biometric and biomechanical sensors disposed throughout the employee workstation, the plurality of biometric and biomechanical sensors configured to sense biometric and biomechanical characteristics of the employee and output corresponding health data indicative of the biometric and biomechanical characteristics of the employee, the plurality of biometric and biomechanical sensors comprising one or more of a plurality of neural sensors configured to be disposed about the scalp of the employee for detecting brain activity of the employee and configured to output neural sensor data indicative of the employee'"'"'s brain activity detected; and

a health monitoring server configured to;

collect the health data indicative of the biometric and biomechanical characteristics of the employee, the health data including neural data corresponding to the neural sensor data;

determine an employee health profile based at least in part on the neural data of the collected health data, the employee health profile comprising one or more of health characteristics, health conditions and health risks for the employee;

generate a health plan for the employee based at least in part on the employee health profile; and

serve, to the employee computer for display to the employee, health content comprising the employee health profile and the health plan for the employee.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of neural sensors are provided via a neuro-headset comprising a rigid frame configured to provide for positioning of the plurality of neural sensors in discrete locations about the scalp of the employee.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of neural sensors are disposed in a head support surface of a headrest of a chair, wherein the head support surface is configured to support a back of the employee'"'"'s head when the employee is seated in the chair.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of neural sensors comprise dry electrodes.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein determining an employee health profile based at least in part on the neural data of the collected health data comprises determining one or more of an emotional state, cognitive thoughts, subconscious thoughts, intent, facial expressions, motor functions, a risk of depression, and a risk of physical fatigue of the employee using the neural data of the health data collected.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions for use in monitoring an employee'"'"'s health while the employee is working at a workstation, the workstation including a computer workstation for use by the employee, the computer program instructions being executable by a computer processor to cause the steps of:

activating a set of neural sensors connected to a communications network via the computer workstation, the set of neural sensors disposed about the scalp of the employee for detecting the employee'"'"'s brain activity, and outputting neural sensor data indicative of the employee'"'"'s brain activity detected;

collecting, via the communications network, the neural data corresponding to the neural sensor data output by the set of neural sensors;

determining an updated health profile for the employee using the neural data collected, the updated health profile comprising;

health characteristics for the employee including one or more of an emotional state, thoughts, facial movements, and motor functions of the employee determined using the neural data collected; and

a health plan for the employee based on one or more of the health characteristics determined using the neural data collected;

updating the health information stored in the database to reflect the updated health profile for the employee; and

serving, for display to the employee via the computer workstation, the updated health profile for the employee.

18. A computer-implemented method for monitoring the health of an employee while the employee is located in an employee workstation, the method comprising:

collecting, from a plurality of biometric and biomechanical sensors disposed throughout the employee workstation, health data indicative of biometric and biomechanical characteristics of the employee, the plurality of biometric and biomechanical sensors comprising one or more of a plurality of neural sensors disposed about the scalp of the employee for detecting brain activity of the employee and outputting neural sensor data indicative of the employee'"'"'s brain activity detected, the health data including neural data corresponding to the neural sensor data;

determining an employee health profile based at least in part on the neural data of the collected health data, the employee health profile comprising one or more of health characteristics, health conditions and health risks for the employee;

generating a health plan for the employee based at least in part on the employee health profile; and

serving, to an employee computer in the workstation for display to the employee, health content comprising the employee health profile and the health plan for the employee.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of neural sensors are provided via a neuro-headset comprising a rigid frame configured to provide for positioning of the plurality of neural sensors in discrete locations about the scalp of the employee.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of neural sensors are disposed in a head support surface of a headrest of a chair, wherein the head support surface is configured to support a back of the employee'"'"'s head when the employee is seated in the chair.