Edge-AI Enabled Affordable Wearable for Intelligent Monitoring of Physiological Patterns Associated with Neuro-Cognitive Disorders

Abstract

Across the globe, mental and neurological diseases including stress, tremors, seizures, and cardiac arrhythmia cause a vast number of people to be afflicted. However, the prevailing principle of early detection is thwarted by periodic clinical examinations and sophisticated expensive equipment, especially in rural or resource-limited areas. The usual mechanisms cannot guarantee a continuous and conveniently accessible trend of monitoring that will lead to interventions without a delay in remedying the prognosis. This study develops an affordable, compact wearable device using an ESP32 microcontroller integrated with sensors like MAX30100 (HR/SpO2), AD8232 (ECG), MPU6050 (motion/tremor), LM35/DHT22 (temperature/humidity), and a capacitance sensor (sweat). A hybrid detection system combines rule-based thresholds with an embedded Random Forest ML model, trained offline on 200 empirical physiological recordings obtained under controlled experimental conditions and subsequently enhanced using statistical data augmentation techniques, such as Gaussian noise and bootstrapping, to augment data variability during model development. Features include HR, HRV (SDNN, RMSSD), ECG R-R intervals, RMS acceleration, and trends. The model supports multi-class classification for conditions like stress and seizures, with on-device alerts via buzzer and OLED. Initial experimental validation with a restricted participant dataset and 5-fold cross-validation exhibited encouraging classification performance under regulated testing settings. The findings underscore the practicality of combining multi-sensor physiological monitoring with integrated machine learning for real-time health status evaluation. Nonetheless, additional extensive and varied clinical investigations are necessary to assess the system’s generalisability across distinct groups. Confusion matrix analysis showed minimal errors, with ECG HR and tremor acceleration as top predictors. The device, miniaturized into a wristband costing under $15, enables offline edge computing with AES-256 encryption. This innovation bridges the gap between consumer wearable technology and intelligent physiological monitoring systems, particularly for resource-limited environments, promoting health equity in underserved areas. By enabling real-time, personalized monitoring, it paves the way for telemedicine, reducing healthcare burdens and fostering proactive interventions for neurological disorders.