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# Mental Health Jaw-Trackers
HeadScan is a Wearable System to Track Wellbeing Through Jaw Movement

By Alyson Wyers | Published 2016-06-07 | Lifestyle
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wearable-system
References: [springwise](http://www.springwise.com/jaw-tracking-radio-waves-diagnose-mental-health-problems/) & [egr.msu.edu](http://www.egr.msu.edu/~mizhang/papers/2016_IPSN_HeadScan.pdf)

This wearable system is not designed to monitor vitals or physical fitness, but [mental health and social interaction](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-mood-journal). HeadScan is "a wearable system for radio-based sensing of head and mouth-related activities" designed by researchers at [Michigan State University](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/locked-into-wellness-tour).

Its small radio wave antennas are able to track jaw movement in an unobtrusive manner to analyze eating and social habits. The [MSU](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/little-caesars-and-michigan-state-university) team has been able to translate this data into diagnostics to determine the wearer's wellbeing. HeadScan does not record any audio or visual information, which also ensures the wearer's privacy.

Head researcher Mi Zhang is developing an advanced prototype. In the future, a cloud-based mobile application could also be used to inform the wearer of their wellbeing, and notify them if any troubling mental health issues are being detected.

## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter)

- Score: 4.8/10
- Popularity: 52% | Activity: 84% | Freshness: 8%
- Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women
- Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X
- Top markets: North America

## Categories

[Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Health](https://www.trendhunter.com/health)

## Key Themes

### What's Driving This Trend

- **Wearable Mental Health Trackers:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in developing wearable devices that track mental health indicators.
- **Radio-based Sensing Technology:** Disruptive innovation potential in creating new applications for radio-based sensing technology, such as tracking jaw movement for mental health analysis.
- **Cloud-based Mobile Applications for Wellbeing:** Opportunity for innovation in developing cloud-based mobile applications that provide real-time feedback on mental health and wellbeing based on wearable device data.

### Who This Affects Most

- **Wearable Technology:** The wearable technology industry has the potential to incorporate mental health tracking features into their devices.
- **Sensing Technology:** Sensing technology companies can explore new applications for radio-based sensing technology beyond traditional use cases.
- **Mobile Application Development:** Mobile app developers can focus on creating cloud-based applications that provide mental health insights based on data collected from wearable devices.

## Related on Trend Hunter

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