How new headsets could help alleviate workplace stress and hold back dementia

Imperial College scientist hopes Dream Machine device can be taken up by UAE firms

Dr Jamil El-Imad, a professor who has developed a brain training device to keep dementia at bay. Antonie Robertson/The National

A computer scientist who developed a brain training headset is bringing his device to the UAE in the hope of easing stress in the workplace and to tackle mental health concerns.

Health professionals are clear on the fact technology can play a vital role in supporting healthcare demands. Japan is arguably one of the front-runners in terms of social care, with specialist cameras mooted as a solution to help safeguard those with dementia.

The mind gym, however, aims to improve focus and turbocharge existing meditation techniques. It has been developed by Dr Jamil El-Imad, a fellow at Imperial College in London at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, who has been researching digital health and software as therapeutic solutions for mental health for 20 years and, as CEO of Swiss charity the Brain Forum, was tasked with advancing brain research.

Dr El-Imad, who is Lebanese, runs the company NeuroPro. The software and algorithm his Dream Machine headset now uses has proved successful in alleviating stress, focusing the mind and relieving depression.

The Dream Machine's semi-circular band is loaded with sensors that transmit wireless signals to reveal the workings of the brain, with related software helping the user learn how to focus. Photo: Dr Jamil El-Imad

The semi-circular band is loaded with sensors that transmit wireless signals to reveal the workings of the brain. Dr El-Imad now hopes to launch the device into the UAE’s corporate world, to help those who may struggle to focus during work hours.

“There seems to be a very high rise in our modern society of mental health disorders,” he said. “I'm one of the pioneers in virtual reality and I see, apart from its entertainment value, there are some therapeutic needs. With the Swiss Institute of Technology, I started working in 2010 with an incredible team of scientists and neuroscientists to look at VR to treat phobias. We built our own headset that allowed you to train yourself to overcome the phobia that was successful.”

Short attention spans

A Harvard study in 2010 found that human minds wander for 47 per cent of our waking time. The study used an iPhone app to collect 250,000 data points on subjects’ thoughts, feelings, and actions during their daily lives.

While some of this wandering or ‘day dreaming’ is good for our brains, by fostering creativity and solutions to tough problems, it can also lead to stress or anxiety. That research prompted Dr El-Imad to look for a solution to maintain focus and improve mental heath.

His software creates a virtual reality experience for the wearer of the headset, in a customisable virtual world. It can be a desert sandstorm, a mountainous snowstorm or a foggy day familiar to those living in the UAE. By concentration alone, the fog or storm begins to clear during a session lasting no longer than 10 minutes. Over the course of multiple sessions, it enables the user to take control of their minds and to stay in the moment.

Dr El-Imad said the device provides a few minutes of escapism, while connecting new brain pathways that could also delay the onset of other neurodegeneration, such as dementia.

“In older people, if dementia sets in and gets serious, it's probably too late to help,” he said. “But for people who have a predisposition to dementia or early cognitive decline, such as people diagnosed with diabetes before the age of 40, who are more likely to have early dementia, this could help. You can delay it by up to 10 years if you do any exercise to do with brain training, whether it's chess, or if you have something regular like what we're offering. It’s not harmful and you don't have to spend hours with it, but it could help you delay cognitive decline.”

The device uses a unique algorithm to monitor the wearer's progress across several sessions. Photo: Dr. Jamil El-Imad

Dementia a health priority

Similar to other areas of mental health, dementia is a fast-growing health priority, as more people live longer into old age.

According to Alzheimer’s disease International, someone in the world develops dementia every three seconds, with more than 55 million people now diagnosed with the condition. That number is likely to double every year, reaching an estimated 139 million cases worldwide by 2050, ADI said.

To apply the brakes to that rapid growth, pre-emptive techniques, such as regular brain training exercises, could offer the best solution.

While the costs associated with the Dream Machine are expected to vary, depending on access to the hardware required, Dr El-Imad said he expected annual subscription costs to be a “few tens of thousands of dollars”.

“We live in an age of constant interruptions and distractions,” he said. “Generally, people who come to work and get on with their jobs with few distractions tend to be more fulfilled. This is device independent, as the magic is in the software and the algorithm. It allows people to have more control over their thoughts, and the escapism is a breath of fresh air.”