ABSTRACT
Pillow research will be able to detect awareness and behaviours in 'non-behavioural' patients in minimal conscious state. Whenever an involuntary movement hit the humor-pillow that was located in front of the patient on a little table that is fixed to the wheel chair. Pillow research and the prototypical development of an alternative imaging technology intend to enrich the discussions about the clinical care of severely disabled people. The development of the technology aims at detecting consciousness by relying on a human observer who looks at the patient to discriminate any subtle signs of the recovery of consciousness. Measurements of signals of conscious awareness by means of serial assessments like SMART, or functional imaging technologies, follow the rationale to avoid misdiagnosis of patients with minimal conscious state. The serial neurocognitive assessment of a patient is a highly formalized procedure.
