Goals

Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder of genetic origin, discovered in 1965 by Dr. Rett, who observed peculiar stereotyped hand movements in some young girls. These patients are not self-sufficient and have an intrinsic structural and functional fragility. A distinctive feature of the syndrome is the presence of stereotypies—repetitive movements triggered by excitement or emotional stress but also present regardless of a cause—that mostly involve the hands and mouth, and could need to be controlled to prevent involuntary self-injury.

Stereotypies may or may not be associated with abnormal breathing patterns, which can include rapid breathing, hyperventilation, or apnea, with potential cardiovascular impact.

The main objectives are:

O1. Development of a compact wearable system for sensing biopotentials and deformations, based on custom textile/epidermal technologies and both commercial and custom electronics for data acquisition and transmission, also integrating inertial sensors for motion detection.

O2. Training of artificial intelligence capable of locally recognizing the onset of motor or respiratory stereotypies.

O3. Integration of simple actuators to stimulate the interruption of the stereotypy.

O4. Development of an integrated demonstrator tested in the field.

O5. Technical and economic feasibility study (through proof-of-concept support) of an integrated interactive environment designed to assist individuals with Rett syndrome by helping them interrupt stereotypies even in the temporary absence of a caregiver, and in a more effective way.

O6. Study of similar use cases to extend the system to other conditions of vulnerability caused by chronic or neurodegenerative diseases.