SBIR Phase I: New Wearable for Body Focused Repetitive Behavior Detection

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will result from providing an accurate real-time awareness solution for those who suffer from body-focused repetitive behaviors. Over 4% of Americans suffer from skin picking, hair pulling, and nail biting, the majority of whom resort to covering up the problem with makeup, gloves, wigs, and even tattoos due to treatment cost barriers and lack of effective tools to facilitate behavior change. While behavior therapy, and in particular habit reversal training, has shown efficacy, this method is traditionally burdened by unreliable journaling, a lack of access to treatment, and difficulty for patients to perform in real-time because of a lack of awareness. While real-time awareness devices do exist, there is room for improvement in detection accuracy. This project will examine feasibility of a novel sensor system within a wearable device that can significantly improve detection accuracy of BFRB-related behaviors. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop and validate a novel wearable sensing system used to detect subtle movements associated with BFRBs that is suitable for large-scale manufacturing. We believe the proposed wearable system can improve the efficacy of leading behavior therapy methods. To accomplish these goals, early studies will focus on three main objectives. First, the team will investigate the best electrical and spatial configuration of the proposed sensors in a tightly controlled test setup. Second, the team will integrate the optimal configuration into a device suitable for testing and validate the integrity of the sensor output on individuals. Finally, the team will develop a proof-of-concept BFRB recognition algorithm under ideal, low-noise conditions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.