Biosensor device and method

• US 8,679,008 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Galvanic Limited, Vyro Games Ltd., Vyros Games, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Galvanic Limited
• Inventors: Hughes, Darran, McDonnell, Daragh, McDarby, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US12/070,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301, 600/544
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/164 Lie detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

In part, one aspect of the invention relates to a portable, handheld biosensor device that is held between two fingers of the same hand or otherwise contacts two points on a user'"'"'s skin. The sensor device includes a pair of conductive or semi-conductive electrodes and associated circuitry designed to sense, amplify and digitize the electrical conductance of the skin between the electrodes. The device can additionally be configured to sense additional biometrics from the fingers, including blood oxygenation and skin temperature. Digitized biometric values are transmitted wirelessly (or via direct wire connection, such as a USB cable) to a computing device where the data is utilized to generate a control parameter in a software application whose purpose is to provide anxiety biofeedback or entertainment.

Claims

1. A system for providing client applications based on biometric data, comprising:

(a) a handheld biometric sensor comprising;

(i) a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes sufficiently conductive to transduce electrodermal activity, the first electrode and the second electrode disposed proximate to a housing, and, the first and second electrodes are substantially parallel and face away from each other;

(ii) an amplifier in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes, the amplifier adapted to amplify a transduced electrodermal signal;

(iii) a converter in electrical communication with the amplifier, wherein the converter converts analog electrodermal signals to digital electrodermal data;

(iv) a biometric processor in electrical communication with the converter, the biometric processor capable of controlling a flow of digitized data from the converter, the biometric processor disposed within the housing; and

(v) a wireless link controller, the wireless link controller adapted to wirelessly enable the processor to exchange digital data with a client computing device; and

(b) a client computing device comprising;

(i) a wireless link controller, the wireless link controller adapted to wirelessly enable the client computing device to exchange digital data with the biometric processor; and

(ii) a client processor for processing digital data provided by the wireless link controller, and running a client application that uses the digital data as input, such that, the client computing device comprises a digital signal analyzer that extracts one or more features from the electrodermal data received from the biometric processor and provides the features to said client application,

wherein the digital signal analyzer extracts one or more features from the electrodermal data received from the biometric processor by using a continuous parameter adaptation technique, comprising the steps of;

receiving the electrodermal data from the electrodes over a window of time;

filtering the windowed electrodermal data, wherein the filtering is performed substantially continuously using an adaptive process;

passing the filtered, windowed electrodermal data through a slope calculator;

detecting, if the calculated slope value is positive which indicates a potential stress event and increasing a trend counter accordingly, or, if the calculated slope value is negative and decreasing a trend counter accordingly;

monitoring as to whether the trend counter has increased over or decreased below one or more pre-defined thresholds;

upon the trend counter increasing over one of the pre-defined thresholds, the client computing device altering the system to indicate a higher stress state and the trend counter being reset; and

,

upon the trend counter decreasing below one of the pre-defined thresholds, the client computing device altering the system to indicate a lower stress state and the trend counter being reset.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the distance between said first and second electrodes is from about 1 cm to about 4 cm.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said biometric sensor further comprises a filter that passes more of a phasic component of the electrodermal signal than a tonic component of the electrodermal signal.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said filter is designed to substantially remove said tonic component, and wherein said processor is programmed to (i) track variations in said tonic component of the electrodermal signal over time, and (ii) provide feedback parameters to said filter to more substantially remove said tonic component.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more features are selected from the group consisting of a stress level, an anxiety level and a relaxation level.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said client application is a virtual agent application wherein said features modify the state of a virtual agent causing the behavior of the virtual agent to change.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said virtual agent is selected from the group consisting of a virtual person, a virtual pet and a virtual plant.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said digital signal analyzer extracts one or more features from the electrodermal data received from the biometric processor by filtering the electrodermal data to remove high-frequency components;

calculating the slope of the filtered data;

thresholding the calculated slope values;

accumulating a number of events within the thresholded sloped values; and

determining the number of accumulated events for a given time period so as to provide these results as features to said client application.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the system identifies relative stress trends relating to a user'"'"'s anxiety level.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the electrodermal data comprises an electrodermal level portion and an electrodermal response portion;

and the client processor filters the electrodermal level portion from the electrodermal data.