Enabling users to detect cerebral ictus earlier is the goal of researchers from Valencia’s Polytechnic University (UPV), who have developed a mobile app capable of doing just that.

Although still in the testing stage, the app relies on the sensors in smartphones to analyze a user’s ability to smile, their arm movements and speech coherence. If the app determines that any combination of two of these are impaired, an alert is sent to emergency services.

"Despite the awareness campaigns carried out by different entities, many people are unable to identify the signs of this condition. Smartphones seem to be a good platform on which to develop applications aimed at people's health, such as in this case, to carry out an early detection of a pathology which affects 120,000 people in Spain alone," explained Jaime Lloret, researcher at the IGIC Institute of the Gandia Campus of UPV.

To determine if the symptoms are evident, the app requires the user to complete three different tasks. The first task involves taking a picture with the phone so that the user’s smile can be analyzed. That task is followed by requiring the user to speak into the microphone and speaker of the smartphone. "The user is asked to repeat an easy sentence. If the sentence is not spoken coherently, the application detects the presence of this symptom," explained Lloret.

The final task - the inability of the user to lift his or her arms, which can signal cerebral ictus - is measured by a smartphone’s accelerometer.

Failing any two of these tasks will result in the notification of emergency services.

In addition to determining whether a person is experiencing this type of health emergency, researchers believe the app could also be valuable in terms of data collection.

"They could then be used by public institutions, therefore contributing to increase the knowledge of said institutions on the cases of cerebral ictus among the population," added Lloret.

The app is detailed in the International Journal of Information Management.