System and method for measuring consciousness and sentience

Abstract

An exemplary system and method are disclosed for measuring the level of consciousness and unconsciousness of a person or animal using an apparatus that is sensitive to and observable of (i) changes in quantum effects, such as electron displacements, and (ii) light-wave interference or divergence measurement. The exemplary system and method can be employed to decipher and map brain activity patterns that cause conscious experiences to a measured unit, referred to as a "qualiagraphy."

Description

Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING CONSCIOUSNESS AND SENTIENCERelated ApplicationThis PCT application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U. S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 751,028, filed January 29, 2025, entitled “SEMICONDUCTOR-BASED DIGITAL TEMPERATURE. PROBE SENTIOMETER,” and U. S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 831,153, filed June 26, 2025, entitled “SEMICONDUCTOR-BASED DIGITAL TEMPERATURE PROBE SENTIOMETER,” each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Background

[0001] There are currently no objective methods to quantify or measure human or animal consciousness, though such a measure would have great utility, including in the field of medicine.Summary

[0002] An exemplary system and method are disclosed for measuring the level of consciousness and unconsciousness of a person or animal (also referred to as sentiometry) using an apparatus that is sensitive to and observable of changes in quantum effects, such as electron displacements, light-wave interference or divergence measurement, and / or excitation of plasmonic resonance. The exemplary system and method can be employed to decipher and map brain activity patterns that cause conscious experiences to a measured unit, referred to herein as a “qualiagraphy.”

[0003] In some implementations, the exemplary system and method include a semiconductor- or bandgap-based sensor disposed in a thermally insulated container or package that is sensitive to changes in quantum effects. The semiconductor-based or bandgap-based sensor may be configured for temperature measurement but is insulated within an enclosed package or container, thereby completely isolating the measurement from temperature effects and the environment. The exemplary system and method can determine deviations in the consciousness and unconsciousness of a person or animal when they are in proximity to the sensor during continuous recording. The deviations may be displayed on a display screen by a software program or subsequently employed in medical applications (e.g., control of anesthesia or sedation).

[0004] As used herein, a semiconductor generally refers to a material with an intermediate-sized, non-zero bandgap that behaves as an insulator at absolute zero temperature, allowing thermal excitation of electrons into its conduction band at temperaturesAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 that are below the material’s melting point. Examples of semiconductor material that may be used in the exemplary system and method include, but are not limited to, silicon, germanium, cadmium telluride, and gallium arsenide. Semiconductor material may be P-type or N-type, which are doped with impurities, respectively, to provide an extra hole or extra electrons for electrical conduction.

[0005] A bandgap device generally refers to a solid material having an energy range where no electronic states exist as the energy difference (in electron volts) between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in insulators and semiconductors. Bandgap devices are often implemented in PN junctions of semiconductor materials.Electrons may gain energy to move / displace from the valence band to the conduction band to contribute to electrical conduction; the bandgap size can influence the semiconductor’s properties and suitability for different applications, including semiconductor-based temperature sensors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic cells.

[0006] A PN junction device generally refers to a material formed by the contact of p-type and n-type semiconductor materials. The PN junction can create a depletion region (i.e., junction barrier) where mobile charge carriers (e.g., electrons) are absent, resulting in an electric field that allows a current (e.g., of electrons) to flow in one direction and blocks the current in the opposite direction. The PN junction can be part of electronic devices, including semiconductor-based temperature sensors, diodes, transistors, and solar cells.

[0007] An electron displacement or plasmonic resonance excitation device generally refers to semiconductor materials over a bandgap involving movements of electrons from a valence band to a conduction band, which can be influenced by the energy provided to the electrons (e.g., thermal energy in temperature sensors) or sensitive to excitation of plasmonic resonance. The displacements of electrons across the bandgap can provide a generation and control of electrical currents within the semiconductor material, which is essential for the operation of semiconductor-based devices (e.g., temperature sensors and integrated chips).

[0008] In some implementations, the exemplary system and method include a low- energy laser light-emitting diode (LED), a row or array of light sensors or a light-sensitive screen, and corresponding electronics to measure the current induced by the light and store it in a computerized device (e.g., a storage device). The exemplary system and method determine deviations in the amplitudes of these currents over short time intervals during a continuous recording. The deviations may be displayed on a display screen by a software program or subsequently employed in medical applications (e.g., control of anesthesia or sedation). The system may include a single or double slit partition to generate the light-waveAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 interference, or it may be configured without the slit, and the measurement is of the divergence.

[0009] In some implementations, the sensor is sensitive to quantum effects associated with free particles, a harmonic oscillator, and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

[0010] In some implementations, the sensor is based on an accelerometer, acoustic sensor, optical sensor, gyroscopic sensor, magnetic field sensor, electric field sensor, eddy current sensor, pressure sensor, current sensor, and voltage sensor, among others, having a bandgap or semiconductor material for sensing.

[0011] The exemplary system and method may be employed for instrumentation / scientific applications, medical diagnostics, or evaluations.

[0012] A consistently large difference in the deviation values between the interference or divergence apparatuses, or a substantially larger ratio of the test interferometer compared to the reference interferometer, is a measure (e.g., Q-metric) of the level of consciousness. Mapping brain activity patterns that code conscious experiences involves randomly repeated presentations of sensory stimuli and averaging the current amplitudes recorded by one or more test apparatuses (on the cap) across numerous such presentations. This system of apparatuses and associated methods has applications in anesthesiology, the diagnosis of altered states of consciousness, sleep medicine, the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions, the detection of consciousness in non-human organisms, and the mapping of the neural code of conscious experience. The invention of the apparatuses and methods described here resulted from the need to test the predictions of a hypothesis developed by Santosh Helekar to account for the physical basis of consciousness.

[0013] In an aspect, a method if consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment is disclosed, the method comprising providing a modular apparatus comprising a housing having located therein a semiconductor-based temperature sensor assembly, wherein the semiconductor-based sensor assembly configured to measure, via a probe disposed outside the housing, a temperature when the probe is in mechanical contact with a person or animal; pacing the modular apparatus in proximity to the person or animal; measuring, via the probe, a temperature; and outputting, via a computing device on a display, the measured temperature, wherein the measured temperature is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the housing is a heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0015] In some embodiments, the semiconductor-based sensor assembly measures temperature based on electron displacements over a bandgap in a PN junction, wherein the PN junction is formed by a combination of an n-type semiconductor and a p-type semiconductor.

[0016] In another aspect, a method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience measurement or assessment is disclosed, the method including providing a modular apparatus comprising a housing having located therein a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern (e.g., in bands) or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas; placing the modular apparatus in proximity to a person or animal (less than 3 feet from the person or animal); measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the apparatus is in proximity to a person or animal; and outputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein the measured electrical current is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0017] In another aspect, a method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience measurement or assessment is disclosed, the method including providing a modular apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas; placing the modular apparatus in proximity to a person or animal; measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the apparatus is in proximity to a person or animal; determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of the plurality of channels or areas exceeds a pre-defined threshold; and outputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure, wherein theAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0018] In another aspect, a method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment is disclosed, the method including providing a plurality of modular apparatuses each comprising a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein the plurality of modular apparatuses are disposed at a plurality of locations on a headwear (e.g., cap); placing the plurality of modular apparatuses in proximity to a person or animal; measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the apparatus is in proximity to a person or animal; determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of the plurality of channels or areas exceeds a pre-defined threshold; and outputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure, wherein the consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0019] In another aspect, a method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment is disclosed, the method including providing an assembly of one or more modular apparatuses, including a first modular apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein first modular apparatus is disposed at a location on a wearable device (e.g., cap or other headwear) to be placed on person or animal; providing a second apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., LED or laser ) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas; placing the assemblyAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 comprising at least the first modular apparatus at a first position proximal to the person or animal; placing the second apparatus at a second position proximal to the person or animal, wherein the first position is closer to the person or animal than the second position: measuring, via electric circuitries, as a first measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas of the first modular apparatus while the assembly is located at the first position; measuring, via electric circuitries, as a second measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas of the second apparatus while the assembly is located at the second position; determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based the first measurement and the second measurement; and outputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure or an indicator derived therefrom, wherein the consciousness or sentience measure or the indicator is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0020] In some embodiments, the modular apparatus is disposed on a headwear, a handwear, a fingerwear, a medical cart, a medical stretcher, a medical shelf, or a wall (e.g., in ICU or interrogation room) in proximity to the person or animal.

[0021] In some embodiments, the modular apparatus includes a single or double slit located between the photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and the photonic sensor or sensor assembly to generate the interference pattern.

[0022] In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly of the modular apparatus is configured to measure the divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source.

[0023] In some embodiments, the plurality of modular apparatuses includes at least one of: 2 apparatuses, 3 apparatuses, 4 apparatuses, 5 apparatuses, 6 apparatuses, 7 apparatuses, 8 apparatuses, 9 apparatuses, 10 apparatuses, between 10 and 16 apparatuses, between 16 and 32 apparatuses, and between 32 and 64 apparatuses.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method (of any of the above) further includes generating, by the processor or a different computing device, a visual output of the highest amplitude channel or a statistical parameter derived from the measurement (e.g., distribution statistics across the channels), for each of the plurality of modular apparatuses.

[0025] In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises an array of photodiodes.

[0026] In some embodiments, the photon source comprises one or more of: an LED, a laser, or an assembly thereof.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0027] In some embodiments, the measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas comprises: determining, by the processor or hardware circuitries, band regions for the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first modular apparatus is identical in configuration to the second apparatus.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first modular apparatus has a first configuration, wherein the second apparatus has a second configuration, and wherein the first configuration is different from the second configuration.

[0030] In some embodiments, the output is used by a clinician or a machine to adjust or administer anesthesia or sedation.

[0031] In some embodiments, the output is used by a clinician or a machine to identify or provide labels or classifications among at least comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious, and locked-in states.

[0032] In some embodiments, the output is used by a clinician or a machine to (i) quantify the perception of pain or distress (e.g., in a pain study or pain treatment), (ii) quantify the level or state of sleep (e.g., in a sleep study or sleep treatment), or (iii) quantify hallucination states, moods, beliefs, recurrent thoughts or recurrent feelings (e.g., in a psychiatric study or treatment).

[0033] In some embodiments, the at least one elongated area includes a horizontal elongated region.

[0034] In some embodiments, the at least one elongated area includes a vertical elongated region.

[0035] In some embodiments, the housing is configured to shield the photon source, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly, and the electric circuitries from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

[0036] In another aspect, a method for assessing sleep quality, sleep cycle, and consciousness of a person during sleep is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0037] In another aspect, a method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal in an intensive care unit (ICU) is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0038] In another aspect, a method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal after administration of sedation in preparation for a surgery is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0039] In another aspect, a method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person during a meditation session is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0040] In another aspect, a method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal for research associated with pseudoscience (e.g., metaphysical energy fluctuations, quantum spiritual states, aura coherence, etc.) is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0041] In another aspect, a method for determining the frequency and nature of consciousness, sentience, moods, and feelings of a person in psychiatric treatment is disclosed, where the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0042] In another aspect, a method for detecting lies and deciphering thoughts, feelings, beliefs, plans, and intents of a person in law enforcement is disclosed, wherein the method implements any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0043] In another aspect, a device or system is disclosed comprising a modular apparatus comprising: a housing having located therein a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to receive interference pattern (e.g., in bands) or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source; and a controller configured with electrical circuitry to measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas.

[0044] In some embodiments, the housing is configured to shield the photon source, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly, and the controller from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

[0045] In another aspect, a device or system is disclosed comprising a modular apparatus comprising: a miniaturized Mach Zehnder interferometer; and a controller configured with electric circuitries to measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons of the miniaturized Mach Zehnder interferometer, wherein the controller is configured to output, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display device,Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom, wherein the measured electrical current is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0046] In some embodiments, the modular apparatus includes a single or double slit located between the photon source (e.g., LED or laser) and the photonic sensor or sensor assembly to generate the interference pattern.

[0047] In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly of the modular apparatus is configured to measure the divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source.

[0048] In some embodiments, the modular apparatus can be placed in proximity to a person or animal (less than 3 feet from the person or animal) to provide a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0049] In some embodiments, the modular apparatus further includes a housing configured to shield the miniaturized Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the controller from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

[0050] In some embodiments, the device or system further includes features recited in any one of the above-discussed methods.

[0051] In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is disclosed having instructions stored thereon, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to (i) perform in whole or in part any one of the above-discussed methods or (ii) operate in whole or in part any one of the above-discussed devices or systems.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0052] Figs. 1A, IB, 1C, ID, IE, IF, 1G, 1H, II, 1J, IK, IL, and IM each show an example recorder and analysis system (also referred to as “sentiometer”) configured to measure and record consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0053] Fig. 2 A shows an example measured amplitude of interference bands.

[0054] Fig. 2B shows the time-series plots for the two inner bands of Fig. 2A and the two outer bands of Fig. 2 A.

[0055] Fig. 2C shows examples of visualization of the recordings, e.g., that may be analyzed and presented via display.

[0056] Fig. 3A shows a peri-cranial response obtained by (i) a standard diffracted light measuring sentiometer enclosed in a heat-insulated Styrofoam box and (ii) aAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 semiconductor-based temperature sensor (i.e., bandgap diode temperature probe) (e.g., DS18B20) enclosed in a heat-insulated Styrofoam box.

[0057] Fig. 3B shows a peri-manual response obtained by (i) a standard diffracted light measuring sentiometer enclosed in a heat-insulated Styrofoam box and (ii) a semiconductor-based temperature sensor (i.e., bandgap diode temperature probe) (e.g., DS18B20) enclosed in a heat-insulated Styrofoam box.

[0058] Figs. 3C and 3D show a first prototyped device (also referred to as first prototype, prototype #1, prototyped device #1) for the double-slit interference experiment.

[0059] Figs. 3E and 3F show a second prototyped device (also referred to as second prototype, prototype #2, prototyped device #2) for the double-slit interference experiment.

[0060] Figs. 3H - 3L show sentiometric recordings obtained from a third prototyped device (also referred to as third prototype, prototype #3) in various experiments. Fig. 3H shows sentiometric recordings obtained from the third prototyped device when a human subject made movements. Fig. 31 show's sentiometric recordings obtained from the third prototyped device w'hen exposed to body heat, respired air, inaudible sound, and static and radiating electromagnetic fields. Fig. 3J shows example sentiometric measurements for the mice and 2 invertebrates obtained from the third prototyped device. Fig. 3K shows sentiometric recordings from mice exposed to the third prototyped device’s light intensity sensor during a test acquisition time before and after euthanasia. Fig. 3L shows the SR recordings of the 3 patients with brain injury and the 4 healthy adults. Figs. 3G, 3M, and 3N show- the third prototyped device with differing configurations that measuredivergin g / di ffr acting wa ves.

[0061] Figs. 4A - 4G show experimental results acquired by a first prototyped device (also referred to as prototype #1). Fig. 4A shows the first prototyped device (“prototype device #1”) placed inside an enclosure in proximity to live mice. Fig. 4B show's a time series recording of a single photodiode channel response. Fig. 4C show's normalized recorded measurements acquired from two canine subjects at 0 cm (touching subject) at two-time intervals. Figs. 4D and 4E show' raw' measurements of the first prototyped device placed next to five awake mice at two locations (next to the animals and about 11 feet away). Figs. 4F and 4G show raw measurements of the first prototyped device placed next to five awake mice at two locations.

[0062] Figs. 5A - 5E each shows, for 4 respective subjects, normalized recorded measurements acquired at 4 different distances (0 cm (touching subject), 30 cm, 90 cm, and 180 cm, see Fig. 5E) and at four-time intervals.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0063] Figs. 6A - 6H show measurements during sleep. Fig. 6A shows a measurement acquired in an empty room with one subject for a portion of the measurement. Fig. 6B shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with 1 subject sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours). Fig. 6C shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with another subject sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours). Fig. 6D shows a similar nighttime recording with two sleeping subjects. The second subject fell asleep and woke up during the recording, while the first subject was still asleep. Fig. 6E shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with 2 subjects sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours). Figs. 6F, 6G, and 6H show three measurements acquired at a similar time of day with the first prototyped device placed in a laboratory.

[0064] Fig. 7 A shows a measurement acquired from a person with the first prototyped device held at different orientations (e.g., perpendicular to the ground and parallel to the ground).

[0065] Fig. 7B shows a measurement acquired from a person for a period of time to determine the time to saturation of the measurement.

[0066] Fig. 7C shows measurements acquired from a person using the first prototyped device for a set of activities (reading and watching a video).

[0067] Figs. 8A - 8F show measurements using divergent-wave measurement hardware / device to measure and record consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Fig. 8A shows the prototype configured as a divergent-wave measurement device. Fig. 8B shows measurements acquired from a person with the divergent-wave measurement device modified (double slit included or no double slit). Fig. 8C shows normalized recorded measurements acquired at 5 different locations from a person: the top, forehead, right, left, and back of the head. Fig. 8D shows a measurement by the divergent-wave measurement device placed in a vacant laboratory. Fig.8E shows a measurement with the laser diode disabled to illustrate that the measurement is associated with the laser source. Fig. 8F shows measurements from two divergent-wave measurement devices, one with a double-slit configuration and one without, placed within 10 cm of a single animal (mice).

[0068] Figs. 9A - 9B show measurements from different types of animals for a response. Fig. 9A shows measurements acquired from a person (primate) and an animal (rodent). Fig. 9B shows measurements acquired from invertebrate animals.

[0069] Figs. 9C - 9E show measurements following death. Fig. 9C shows a measured response to a 20-minute exposure. The response appears to be inverted 2 hours after theAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 induction of euthanasia. Fig. 9D shows the measured sentiometric response from an animal (euthanized mice) with a decapitated head and body. In Fig. 9D, the baseline measurement shows an inversion of the response relative to exposure of the head (before death). Fig. 9E shows a measured sentiometric response from an excised brain of an animal.

[0070] Fig. 10 shows a measured sentionietric response induced by a 30-minute exposure of the hand to a sensor module of a sentiometer placed 15 cm from the side of the body.

[0071] Fig. 11 shows an increase in the inverted SR amplitude, measured by the divergent- wave measurement device, that was induced by light in copper.

[0072] Fig. 12 shows a positive SR, measured by the divergent-wave measurement device, that was caused by the transient accumulation of electrons on a zinc plate after their movement to the plate surface.

[0073] Various objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will become more apparent and better understood by referring to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and / or structurally similar elements.Detailed Specification

[0074] Each and every feature described herein, and each and every combination of two or more of such features, is included within the scope of the present invention, provided that the features included in such a combination are not mutually inconsistent.

[0075] Some references, which may include various patents, patent applications, and publications, are cited in a reference list and discussed in the disclosure provided herein. The citation and / or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to any aspects of the present disclosure described herein. In terms of notation, “[n]” corresponds to the nthreference in the list. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.

[0076] Example System #1

[0077] Fig. 1A shows an example recorder and analysis system 100a configured to measure and record the consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person using a semiconductor-based temperature sensor, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0078] In the example shown in Fig. 1A, the recorder and analysis system 100a includes a measurement system 102 comprising a recorder device 104a, e.g., placed in proximity to a person’s forehead or disposed in the person’s hand. The recorder device 104a is connected to a computing device 108 having a data store 110. The recorder and analysis system 100a includes an analysis system 112 configured to retrieve a recording from the data store 110 to generate a report, e.g., on a display device 114, that shows a measure or indicator of consciousness (e.g., 115) or sentience of the person or animal.

[0079] The recorder device 104a is a semiconductor-based heat-sensitive device that can observe, over a period of time, e.g., the effect of temperature waveform, to provide a measure of consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person. The recording and / or measurement can be used to assess the state of being awake / sedated, functional cognitive, or noncognitive assessment for a person, e.g., a coma patient, a person sleeping, and the like.

[0080] As shown, the recorder 104a is configured with a power regulator 105, a semiconductor-based temperature sensor 107, an analog-to-digital converter, and a controller 126. The entire recorder 104a is disposed in a heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box 101 configured to isolate the recorder 104a from any external stimuli, including mechanical vibration, heating sources, environmental heat, environmental radio frequency or other electromagnetic field and radiation, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

[0081] The power regulator 105 can receive power from a power source 103 and transmit power to the semiconductor-based temperature sensor 107. The power regulator is configured to keep the power voltage stable while transmitting power from the power source 103 to the semiconductor-based temperature sensor 107.

[0082] The semiconductor-based temperature sensor 107, coupled with the power regulator 105, can receive power and measure the electron movements / displacements corresponding to sentiometric responses (SR) (e.g., photo-modulator response (PR)) of the person when the person is in mechanical contact with the probe 117, wherein the electron displacements occur at a barrier between semiconductor materials 113 (e.g., p-type, n-type) over a bandgap 111. The combination of the semiconductor materials forms a PN junction 109.

[0083] The analog-to-digital converter 124, coupled with the semiconductor-based temperature sensor 107, can convert the measured sentiometric responses (i.e., analog signal) to a digital value and transmit the digital value to the controller 126. The controller 126 can transmit the digital value to the computing system 108 for further analysis and display.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0084] Semiconductor. Semiconductor materials are substances with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. The semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon, germanium) can be used in electronics and doped with impurities to create p-type or n-type semiconductors, which can contribute to the operations of various electronic devices, including semiconductor-based temperature sensors, diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits.

[0085] As used herein, a semiconductor generally refers to a material with an intermediate-sized, non-zero bandgap that behaves as an insulator at absolute zero temperature, allowing thermal excitation of electrons into its conduction band at temperatures that are below the material’s melting point. Examples of semiconductor material that may be used in the exemplary system and method include, but are not limited to, silicon, germanium, cadmium telluride, and gallium arsenide. Semiconductor material may be P-type or N-type, which are doped with impurities, respectively, to provide an extra hole or extra electrons for electrical conduction.

[0086] Bandgap. As used herein, a bandgap device generally refers to a solid material having an energy range where no electronic states exist as the energy difference (in electron volts) between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in insulators and semiconductors. Bandgap devices are often implemented in PN junctions of semiconductor materials. Electrons may gain energy to move / displace from the valence band to the conduction band to contribute to electrical conduction; the bandgap size can influence the semiconductor’s properties and suitability for different applications, including semiconductor-based temperature sensors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic cells.

[0087] PN junction. As used herein, a PN junction device generally refers to a material formed by the contact of p-type and n-type semiconductor materials. The PN junction can create a depletion region (i.e., junction barrier) where mobile charge carriers (e.g., electrons) are absent, resulting in an electric field that allows a current (e.g., of electrons) to flow in one direction and blocks the current in the opposite direction. The PN junction can be part of electronic devices, including semiconductor-based temperature sensors, diodes, transistors, and solar cells.

[0088] Electron displacement. An electron displacement or plasmonic resonance excitation device generally refers to semiconductor materials over a bandgap involving movements of electrons from a valence band to a conduction band, which can be influenced by the energy provided to the electrons (e.g., thermal energy in temperature sensors) or sensitive to excitation of plasmonic resonance. The displacements of electrons across theAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 bandgap can provide a generation and control of electrical currents within the semiconductor material, which is essential for the operation of semiconductor-based devices (e.g., temperature sensors and integrated chips).

[0089] Example System #2

[0090] Figs. IB, 1C, ID, IE, IF, and 1G each show an example recorder and analysis system 100 (shown as 100b, 100c, lOOd, 100c, lOOf, and 100g, respectively) configured to measure and record consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0091] In the example shown in Figs. IB, 1C, ID, IE, IF, and 1G, the recorder and analysis system (e.g., 100b, 100c, lOOf, 100g) includes a measurement system 102 comprising a recorder device 104 (shown as 104a), e.g., disposed on a wearable cap 106 to be worn by a person or placed in proximity to a person’s head. The recorder device 104 is connected to a computing device 108 having a data store 110. The recorder and analysis system 100b includes an analysis system 112 configured to retrieve a recording from the data store 110 to generate a report, e.g., on a display device 116, that shows a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0092] The recorder device 104 is a quantum-effect sensitive device or quantum¬ effect observer that can observe, over a period of time, e.g., the effects of quantum wave function collapse, to provide a measure of consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience of a person. The recording and / or measurement can be used to assess the state of being awake / sedated, functional cognitive, or noncognitive assessment for a person, e.g., a coma patient, a person sleeping, and the like. Indeed, the recorder device 104 has utility in various medical and clinical applications as well as in neuroscience research, among others. The recorder device 104 may have utility for trauma and mental health treatments, law enforcement, and security intelligence applications.

[0093] In some embodiments, the recorder device 104 (shown as 104a - 104d) is disposed in a housing (e.g., a heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box) configured to shield the recorder device 104 and associated components (e.g., photon source 116, slit 118, frontend circuit 122, analog-to-digital converter 124, controller 126) from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

[0094] The exemplary system and method can be used (i) to measure the depth of consciousness under general anesthesia or sedation in the operating room, (ii) to discern the extent to which an unresponsive subject in the intensive care unit is conscious, e.g., allowingAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 differentiation between comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious and locked in states, (iii) to determine the frequency and nature of dreams in sleep studies, potentially useful in the diagnosis of psychoses, (iv) to quantify the intensity of pain and distress, (v) to determine the frequency and nature of disordered thoughts, moods, feelings, beliefs and hallucinations in psychiatric conditions, (vi) to detect whether a prematurely born baby or a fetus in utero is conscious or not, (vii) to discover whether a living organism on the evolutionary ladder is conscious or not; and (viii) to decipher the entire neural -quantum code of sensory, affective and cognitive qualia, akin to the mapping of the genomes of humans and other organisms.

[0095] As noted above, in the example of Fig. 1C, the recorder device 104a is fixably coupled to a structure 107 (e.g., bed, chair) and is placed in proximity to the person. The structure maintains constant proximity / distance between the recorder device 104a and the person (e.g., head), e.g., less than 5 cm.

[0096] Referring to Fig. IB, the recorder device 104a’ is configured as a slit diffraction device that implements a single or double slit quantum-physics experiment. The recorder device 104a’ includes a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) 116, a slit partition (e.g., single-slit or double-slit) 118, and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 that couples to electronics 122 (shown as '‘Frontend Circuit” 122) that amplifiers and conditions the measured photon that is received at the photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120. The measured signal is converted to a digital value via an analog-to-digital converter 124 that couples to a controller 126. The photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 includes an elongated area defining a plurality of channels (shown as 128a, 128b, 128c, 128d, 128e), each configured to receive interference pattern 130 (e.g., in bands) of light emitted by the photon source 116 and traveling through the slit partition 118. The front-end circuitries 122 and ADC(s) 124 are configured with electrical circuitry to measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels 128.

[0097] Diagram 132 shows a plot of the amplitude of the measured current for each channel 128, at one instance in time, of the photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 corresponding to the measured photons. Diagram 134 shows a time-series plot of the normalized deviation of the measurement. To generate the time-series plot, the baseline value (i.e., an initial point where there is no consciousness) can be determined and subtracted from the raw signal amplitude. The result is an inverted plot, e.g., as shown in diagram 134.

[0098] Example System #3

[0099] Fig. ID shows the example recorder and analysis system lOOd configured with an array of recorder devices 104 (shown as 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d), in accordance with anAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 illustrative embodiment. The number of recorder devices 104 in the array may include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. In some embodiments, the number of recorder devices 104 is greater than 20.

[0100] Fig. IE shows another example recorder and analysis system lOOe configured with an array of recorder devices 104 (shown as 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d), in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. In Fig. IE, the array of recorder devices 104 is mounted onto a structure that surrounds the person’s head with the recorder devices while maintaining the recorder devices 104 within a pre-defined distance from the person’s head.

[0101] Example System #4

[0102] Fig. IF shows another example recorder and analysis system lOOf configured with a recorder device 104 (104e) configured as a Mach-Zehnder-type Interferometer, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. A miniaturized Mach-Zehnder-type Interferometer may be implemented in the configurations shown in Figs. IB- IE.

[0103] Example System #5

[0104] Fig. 1G shows the example recorder and analysis system lOOf configured with an array of recorder devices 104, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0105] Referring to Fig. 1G, the recorder device 104a” is configured as a diffraction device that is configured to measure divergent waves of light emitted by a photon source. The recorder device 104a” includes a photon source (e.g., LED or laser) 116 and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 that couples to electronics 122 (shown as “Frontend Circuit” 122) that amplifiers and conditions the measured photon that is received at the photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120. The measured signal is converted to a digital value via an analog-to-digital converter 124 that couples to a controller 126. The photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 includes an elongated area defining a plurality of channels (shown as 128a, 128b, 128c, 128d, 128e), each configured to receive a divergent pattern 131 (e.g., in bands) or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source 116. The front-end circuitries 122 and ADC(s) 124 are configured with electrical circuitry to measure the electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels 128.

[0106] Diagram 132 shows a plot of the amplitude of the measured current for each channel 128, at one instance in time, of the photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120 corresponding to the measured photons. Diagram 134 shows a time-series plot of the normalized deviation of the measurement. To generate the time-series plot, the baseline value (i.e., an initial point where there is no consciousness) can be determined and subtracted from the raw signal amplitude. The result is an inverted plot, e.g., as shown in diagram 134.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0107] Fig. 1H shows the example recorder and analysis system 100g configured with an array of recorder devices 104, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0108] As noted above, in the example of Fig. Ill, the recorder device 104a” is fixably coupled to a structure 107 (e.g., bed, chair) and is placed in proximity to the person. The structure maintains constant proximity / distance between the recorder device 104a and the person (e.g., head), e.g., less than 5 cm.

[0109] Example Methods

[0110] Figs. II - IM each shows an example method of using the exemplary recorder and analysis device (e.g., 104, Figs. 1A - TH) (also referred to as a modular apparatus) to determine levels of consciousness and sentience of a person or an animal for various applications, including sleep quality assessment, intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring, post¬ sedation monitoring in preparation for a surgery, meditation therapy and study, research associated with pseudoscience (e.g., metaphysical energy fluctuations, quantum spiritual states, aura coherence, etc.), psychiatric treatment, and law enforcement, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0111] Example Method #1. In the example shown in Fig. II, the method lOOi includes providing (140) a modular apparatus (e.g., recorder device 104, Fig. 1A) that includes a housing (e.g., 101, Fig. 1A) (e.g., a styrofoam box) having a semiconductor-based temperature sensor assembly (e.g., 107, Fig. 1A) located therein. In some embodiments, the semiconductor-based sensor assembly (e.g., 107, Fig. 1 A) is configured to measure, via a probe (e.g., 117, Fig. 1A) disposed outside the housing (e.g., 101, Fig. 1A), a temperature when the probe (e.g., 117, Fig. 1 A) is in mechanical contact with a person or animal. The method lOOi includes placing (142) the modular apparatus (e.g., recorder device 104, Fig. 1A) in proximity to the person or animal. The method lOOi includes measuring (144), via the probe (e.g., 117, Fig. 1A), a temperature. The method lOOi includes outputting (146), via a computing device (e.g., 108, Fig. 1 A) on a display (e.g., 114, Fig. 1A), the measured temperature. In some embodiments, the measured temperature is employed as a measure or indicator of the consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0112] In some embodiments, the housing is a heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box configured to shield components (e.g., the semiconductor-based temperature sensor assembly 107, power regulator 105, analog-to-digital converter 124, controller 126, Fig. 1A) of the modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Fig. 1 A ) from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling. In some embodiments, the semiconductor-based sensor assembly is configured to measureAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 temperature based on electron displacements over a bandgap in a PN junction, where the PN junction is formed by a combination of an n-type semiconductor and a p-type semiconductor.

[0113] Example Method #2. In the example shown in Fig. 1. T, the method lOOj includes providing (150) a modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB, 1C, IF - 1H) that includes a housing having a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - 1H) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - 1H) located therein. In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - III) includes at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - 1H), each channel or area configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light (e.g., 130, Figs. IB - III) emitted by the photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - III) and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a- 128e, Figs. IB - 1H).

[0114] The method lOOj includes placing (152) the modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB, 1C, IF - III) in proximity to a person or animal. The method lOOj includes measuring (154), via electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - 1H), electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - HI) while the apparatus (e.g., 100b - lOOh) is in proximity to the person or animal. The method lOOj includes outputting (156), via the electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - 1H) or a computing device (e.g., 108, Figs. IB - 1H) on a display (e.g., 114, Figs. IB - III), the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - 1H). In some embodiments, the measured electrical current is employed as a measure or indicator of the consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0115] Example Method #3. In the example shown in Fig. IK, the method 100k includes providing (160) a modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB, 1C, IF - 1H) that includes a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - TH) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - III) housed in a housing. In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - 1H) includes at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - 1H), each channel or area configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light (e.g., 130, Figs. IB - III) emitted by the photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - HI) and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a- 128e, Figs. IB - III).Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0116] The method 100k includes placing (162) the modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB, 1C, IF - 1H) in proximity to a person or animal. The method 100k includes measuring (164), via electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - HI), electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - 1H) while the apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB - 1H) is in proximity to the person or animal. The method 100k includes determining (166), by a processor (e.g., 126, Figs. IB - IH), a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - IH) that exceeds a pre-defined threshold.

[0117] The method 100k includes outputting (168), via the electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - IH) or a computing device (e.g., 108, Figs. IB - IH) on a display (e.g., 114, Figs. IB - IH), the consciousness or sentience measure. In some embodiments, the consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of the consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0118] Example Method #4. In the example shown in Fig. IL, the method 1001 includes providing (170) a plurality of modular apparatuses (e.g., 104a - 104d, Figs. ID -IE), each apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - IH) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - IH) housed in a housing. In some embodiments, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - IH) includes at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB -IH), each channel or area configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light (e.g., 130, Figs. IB - IH) emitted by the photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - IH) and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - IH). In some embodiments, the plurality of modular apparatuses (e.g., 104a - 104d, Figs. ID - IE) is disposed at a plurality of locations on the headwear.

[0119] The method 1001 includes placing (172) the plurality of modular apparatuses (e.g., 104a - 104d, Figs. ID - IE) in proximity to a person or animal. The method 1001 includes measuring (174), via electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - IH), electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - IH) while the plurality of apparatuses (e.g., 104a - 104d, Figs. ID - IE) is in proximity to the person or animal. The method 1001 includes determining (176), by a processor (e.g., 126, Figs. IB - IH), a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of theAtorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - 1H) that exceeds a pre-defined threshold.

[0120] The method 1001 includes outputting (178), via the electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - 1H) or a computing device (e.g., 108, Figs. IB - 1H) on a display (e.g., 114, Figs. IB - 1H), the consciousness or sentience measure. In some embodiments, the consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of the consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0121] In some embodiments, the plurality of modular apparatuses (e.g., 104a - 104d, Figs. ID - IE) includes at least one of: 2 apparatuses, 3 apparatuses, 4 apparatuses, 5 apparatuses, 6 apparatuses, 7 apparatuses, 8 apparatuses, 9 apparatuses, 10 apparatuses, between 10 and 16 apparatuses, between 16 and 32 apparatuses, and between 32 and 64 apparatuses.

[0122] In some embodiments, the method 1001 further includes generating, by the processor (e.g., 126, Figs. IB - III) or a different computing device, a visual output of a highest amplitude channel or a statistical parameter derived from the measurement, for each of the plurality of modular apparatuses.

[0123] Example Method #5. The method 100m includes providing (180) an assembly of one or more modular apparatuses (e.g., 104, Figs. IB - 1H), including a first modular apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - 1H) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - 1H) housed in a housing. In some embodiments, the first modular apparatus is disposed at a location on a wearable device to be placed on a person or animal.

[0124] The method 100m includes providing (182) a second apparatus comprising a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - III) and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - 1H) housed in a housing. In some embodiments, each photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - 1H) of the first and second apparatuses includes at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - III), each channel or area configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light (e.g., 130, Figs. IB - 1H) emitted by the photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. I B - 1H) and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a- 128e, Figs. IB - 1H).

[0125] In some embodiments, the first and second modular apparatuses are identical in configuration. In some embodiments, the first and second modular apparatuses differ in configuration.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0126] The method 100m includes placing (184) the assembly having at least the first modular apparatus at a first position proximal to the person or animal. 'The method 100m includes placing (186) the second apparatus at a second position proximal to the person or animal, where the first position is closer to the person or animal than the second position. The method 100m includes measuring (188), via electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - 1H), as a first measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - IH) of the first modular apparatus while the first assembly is located at the first position.

[0127] The method 100m includes measuring (190), via electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - HI), as a second measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas (e.g., 128a - 128e, Figs. IB - IH) of the second apparatus while the assembly is located at the second position. The method 100m includes determining (192), by a processor (e.g., 126, Figs. IB - IH), a consciousness or sentience measure based on the first measurement and the second measurement.

[0128] The method 100m includes outputting (194), via the electric circuitries (e.g., 122, 124, Figs. IB - IH) or a computing device (e.g., 108, Figs. IB - IH) on a display (e.g., 114, Figs. IB - HI), the consciousness or sentience measure or an indicator derived therefrom. In some embodiments, the consciousness or sentience measure or the indicator is employed as a measure or indicator of the consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

[0129] In each of the methods lOOi - 100m, the housing (also referred to as the body housing) (e.g., heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box) is configured to shield (i) the modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB - IH) or each of the plurality of modular apparatuses (e.g., 104a- 104d, Figs. ID - IE), and (ii) associated components (e.g., photon source 116, photonic sensor or sensor assembly 120, frontend circuit 122, analog-to-digital converter 124, controller 126, Figs. IB - IH), from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling. The modular apparatus (e.g., 104, Figs. IB - III) can include a single or double slit (e.g., 118, Figs. IB - 1C) located between a photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - IH) and the photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - IH) to generate the interference pattern (e.g., 130, Figs. IB -IH). The photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - IH) can include one or more LEDs, a laser, or an assembly thereof. The photonic sensor or sensor assembly (e.g., 120, Figs. IB - IH) can include an array of photodiodes configured to measure the divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source (e.g., 116, Figs. IB - IH).Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0130] In each of the methods 1001 - 100m, the output can be used (e.g., by a clinician, a police officer, a machine, etc.) to (i) adjust or administer anesthesia or sedation, (ii) identify or provide classification among at least comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious, and locked-in states, (iii) quantify perception of pain or distress, level or state of sleep (e.g., in a sleep study or sleep treatment), or hallucination states, moods, beliefs, recurrent thoughts or recurrent feeling, (iv) monitor the consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal in an intensive care unit (ICU), (v) monitor consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal for research associated with pseudoscience (e.g., metaphysical energy fluctuations, quantum spiritual states, aura coherence, etc.), and / or (vi) detect lies and decipher thoughts, plans, and intents of a person in law enforcement.

[0131] In each of the methods lOOi - 100m, the modular apparatus (in methods lOOi - 100k, 100m), or the plurality of modular apparatuses (in method 1001) can be disposed on a headwear, a handwear, a fingerwear, a medical cart, a medical stretcher, a medical shelf, or a wall (e.g., in ICU or interrogation room) in proximity to the person or animal to measure and monitor their consciousness or sentience.

[0132] Example Measurement

[0133] Fig. 2A shows an example measured amplitude of interference bands. In Fig.2, the measured amplitude is for five channels: left and right outer bands 202, left and right inner bands 204, and center band 206. The y-axis shows the raw measured values (bits) (12 bits).

[0134] Fig. 2B shows the time-series plots for the two inner bands of Fig. 2A and the two outer bands of Fig. 2 A.

[0135] Fig. 2C shows examples of visualization of the recordings (in diagrams 208, 210, and 212), e.g., that may be analyzed and presented via display 114.

[0136] Table 1 shows the operations to generate the visualizations of Fig. 2C.Table 1Visualization Operation Description1stPrincipal Component fwTXTXw)Wm = argmax ] - 7 - 1[ w1w J(Eq. 1) Running Average ns„^,=- Pn-k+1 3" Pn-Ti / c -+2 + "■ + Pn= k1 \ ’Pii~n-fc+l (Eq. 2) Normalized Determine baseline (e.g., an initial point where there is no consciousness)Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202Output = raw signal amplitude - baseline

[0137] Examples of usage of the exemplary system and method are provided in Table 2.Table 2Example Utility DescriptionHospital Emergency Room Emergency room decision on patients with no or limited state of consciousness: To discern the extent to which an unresponsive subject in the intensive care unit is conscious, e. g., allowing differentiation between comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious, and locked-in states.Sleep Studies Determine the frequency and nature of dreams in sleep studies, potentially useful in the diagnosis of psychoses.Pain studies and treatment Quantify the intensity of pain and distress.Psychotic Disorders Determine the frequency and nature of disordered thoughts, moods, feelings, beliefs, and hallucinations in psychiatric conditions.Fetal Consciousness Detect whether a prematurely born baby or a fetus in utero is conscious or not.Law Enforcement Potential use in lie detection tests and deciphering thoughts, feelings, beliefs, plans, and intents.Research Decipher the entire neural-quantum code of sensory, affective, and cognitive qualia, akin to the mapping of the genomes ofhumans and other organisms.

[0138] Experimental Results and Additional Examples

[0139] A study was conducted that built the hardware and software for a prototyped semiconductor-based apparatus / device (also referred to as a semiconductor-based sentiometer) and a prototyped slit box apparatus / device (also referred to as a slit box sentiometer).

[0140] Experiment #1 - Semiconductor-Based Apparatus / Device

[0141] A closed Styrofoam box with 4-cm-thick walls can provide near-complete insulation against heat transfer, so the study attached a DS18B20 digital semiconductor-based temperature sensor to the inside of the lid of a closed Styrofoam box and placed either the forehead or a hand on the lid from the outside for 10 minutes.

[0142] If the digital sensor could act as a sentiometer, then a prediction was that a deviation from the recording baseline would be noticeable, just as in the standard diffracted light measuring sentiometer (shown in Experiment #2). If, on the other hand, the digital sensor only measured a change in temperature, then little or no such deviation would be seenAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 because the 4-cm-thick Styrofoam box lid and fully enclosed box would prevent heat from the head or hand from being conducted to the sensor.

[0143] Fig. 3A shows a peri-cranial response obtained by (i) a standard diffracted light measuring sentiometer enclosed in a heat-insulated 4-cm Styrofoam box and (ii) a semiconductor-based temperature sensor (i.e., bandgap diode temperature probe) (e.g., DS18B20) enclosed in a heat-insulated 4-cm Styrofoam box. In Fig. 3A, subpanel (a), the region 301 (shown as 301a, 301b) shows a duration of exposure of the two devices on the head. In Fig. 3A, subpanel (b) shows the experimental procedure to obtain a peri-cranial response using the semiconductor-based temperature sensor.

[0144] Fig. 3B shows a peri-manual response obtained by (i) a standard diffracted light measuring sentiometer enclosed in a heat-insulated 4-cm Styrofoam box and (ii) a semiconductor-based temperature sensor (i.e., bandgap diode temperature probe) (e.g., DS18B20) enclosed in a heat-insulated 4-cm Styrofoam box. In Fig. 3B, subpanel (a), the region 303 (shown as 303a, 303b) shows a duration of exposure of the two devices on the hand. In Fig. 3B, subpanel (b) shows the experimental procedure to obtain a peri-manual response using the semiconductor-based temperature sensor.

[0145] In the examples shown in Figs. 3A - 3B, there is an upward deviation of the baseline amounting to 1.63 °C and 1.21 °C for the head and hand, respectively, indicating that the temperature sensor detected and measured a sentiometric effect.

[0146] Experiment #2 - Slit Box Apparatus / Device

[0147] A pilot study in normal adults was planned, as well as trials in anesthetized subjects in the operating room and in unresponsive subjects in the intensive care unit.

[0148] The exemplary system and method resulted from the need to test two predictions of a hypothesis propounded by Santosh Helekar to account for the physical basis of consciousness or subjective experience and the unique implementation of this physics in the biology of the brain. This hypothesis is a further elaboration of a theoretical framework published by Helekar in 1999 (Helekar SA. On the possibility of universal neural coding of subjective experience. Conscious Cogn. 1999 Dec;8(4):423-46; Helekar SA. In defense of experience-coding nonarbitrary temporal neural activity patterns. Conscious Cogn. 1999 Dec;8(4):455-61).

[0149] The latest insight is derived from the long-standing hypothesis that consciousness is related to the collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics. In other words, it is somehow related to the materialization of particles such as photons from waves.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0150] Roger Penrose, Stuart Hameroff, and others have hypothesized that the brain mechanism of consciousness may involve the spontaneous collapse of the quantum wave function.

[0151] The final form of Helekar's hypothesis is a generalization and extension of this theoretical notion, relating it to the current understanding of neural correlates and the phenomenology of consciousness and consequently generating experimentally testable predictions. The Helekar's hypothesis states that the underlying mechanisms producing neural activity patterns that are associated with conscious experiences or the patterns themselves generate these experiences by inducing specific patterns of collapse of any quantum wave function in its vicinity. The temporal shapes of these collapse patterns recapitulate the shapes of the neural activity patterns and uniquely and universally code for elements of conscious experiences long recognized as qualia. Thus, the hypothesis predicts that an apparatus that can detect the conversion of light waves into photons should be able to confirm its two main predictions, namely: 1) that a conscious experience-producing neural activity focus located within a short distance of this apparatus should convert more light waves into photons; and 2) the temporal pattern of this conversion when detected as a signal above the baseline noise should represent the code for the corresponding experience.

[0152] The study implemented the exemplary system and method using apparatuses based on the well-known double-slit experiment in quantum physics to test key predictions of a hypothesis that accounts for the physical nature of consciousness, a long-standing unsolved problem. The study also considered the Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

[0153] Prototype #1. Fig. 3C shows the first prototyped device for the double-slit interference experiment. The device consists of a sensor unit (shown as “Slit Box” 308) containing a red dot low-energy laser diode, a linear array of 7 photodiodes, and a double slit partition. The sensor unit is connected to a controller box containing a microcontroller board with an onboard 10-bit analog-to-digital converter and a microprocessor uploaded with firmware that can sample photodiode currents at rates ranging from 10 - 500 Hz. The controller box may be connected to an electronic tablet or a computer through a USB cable. The data may be acquired and stored by a serial monitoring program at a baud rate of 9600 or stored on removable media (e.g., an SD card) installed on the microcontroller board. The first apparatus 304 (Figs. 3C and 3D) includes a box 308 (shown as “Slit Box” 308) in which a low energy laser light emitting diode (LED) 306 emits light that is projected through a single or double slit partition 310 on to a row of light sensors 312 (i.e., photodiodes) to produce a fringe pattern consisting of bright and dark bands. The study considered a light-sensitiveAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 screen as an alternative to the light sensor. An electronic circuit 314 (shown as “Circuit Box’’ 314) measures the currents induced by the light in each bright or dark band on the left and the right side of a central bright band. The amplitudes of these currents were converted into digital form and were either stored on a computer connected to the apparatus through an analog-to-digital converter or on removable digital media such as a micro-secure digital card when the apparatus was employed in a standalone configuration. Deviations of the amplitudes of these currents over short intervals of time during continuous recording were used to compute a single statistical value, such as the mean or the sum of the maximum range of deviations, and displayed on a display screen by a software program.

[0154] Prototype #2. Fig. 3E shows a second prototyped device for the double-slit interference experiment. The second prototyped device is configured to acquire measurements at 12 bits at 100 Hz. Fig. 3F shows a diagram for the prototype device of Fig.3E for the double-slit interference experiment.

[0155] In Fig. 3F, the device includes a double slit partition 316 in the sensor module 318. A laser source 320, located at the first end 321 of the sensor module, provides a laser beam 322 through the double slit partition 316 that creates an interference pattern 324 (see also 324’ and 324”) at the second end 325, configured with a set of photodiodes 326 (shown as “Light Sensor” 326). The interference pattern 324’ shows a higher intensity measurement in the off-center interference band when no collapse is present, e.g., due to the hypothetical mechanism related to conscious experience. The interference pattern 324” shows a lower intensity measurement in the off-center interference band, indicating a collapse is present, e.g., due to the hypothetical mechanism related to conscious experience.

[0156] The device can be placed in proximity to the peri-cranial area as a measurement site for predicted effects on off-center interference bands.

[0157] Prototype #3. Fig. 3G shows a third prototyped device that measures diverging / diffracting waves and the recordings of the third prototyped device. This configuration has no double slit partition in the sensor module 328 and measures the sampling of the diverging / diffracting waves. The sensor module 328 includes a laser source 320 and a set of photodiodes 326 to detect the degree of divergence of the beam. A measurement of a low beam divergence indicates a collapse of the beam wave, e.g., due to the peri-somatic effect. A measurement of a high beam divergence indicates no collapse of the beam wave, e.g., due to the peri-somatic effect.

[0158] The third prototyped device used in the experiments is shown in Fig. 3D. For each recording, the study powered tire device by connecting it to a laptop computer or anAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 Android tablet and recorded the voltage output of four off-center photodiodes that sampled diffracted light in separate channels, using a serial monitor application that logged the data at the sampling rate of 100 Hz. All experiments began by recording the sentiometric baseline with no activity source within 180 cm for at least 30 minutes. It took 20 - 30 minutes for the baseline to stabilize at a constant level.

[0159] In Fig. 3G, subpanel (b) shows a baseline recording of intensities from 4 off-center channels in an empty room after achieving a stable baseline, which shows no large- amplitude deviations. In Fig. 3G, subpanel (c) shows a time series of scores of the first principal component of these data.

[0160] Fig. 311 shows sentiometric recordings obtained from the third prototyped device when a human subject made movements. In the first experiment, after 40 minutes, the study instructed each human subject to sit on a chair for 10 - 15 minutes, with his / her left temple 1 cm from the sensor module. In Fig. 3H, subpanel (a), sentiometric recordings from all channels during head exposure to the sensor module showed a large decrease in intensity that peaked at the end of the exposure and declined gradually over 30 minutes. The principal component analysis of the 4 off-center channel traces to measure the shared variance across all channels showed that the first principal component accounted for more than 97% of their variance. Therefore, the study plotted a normalized inverted version of this component as the final representation of the recorded effect in all subsequent experiments.

[0161] The study expressed the strength of the recorded sentiometric response (SR) (e.g., photo-modulator response (PR)) in arbitrary units (au). 10-minute recordings from 7 healthy adult human subjects with the sensor module placed 1 cm from the left temple revealed the strength of SR to be 601.4 ± 61.6 au. To rule out any element of subjective bias in the recording of SR and in attributing it to actual exposure of the head to the device sensor, the study conducted a double-blind experiment in which the subject was alone in a closed room, sat at random on one of two chairs, fitted with an acti ve and inactive device and placed 90 cm apart (a distance at which little or no SR was detected), not knowing whether the chair he / she sat on had a device that was active or not. The subject indicated the time and the chair on which he / she sat using an electronic tablet application. The researcher conducting the experiment, who was outside the closed room, could determine whether the occurrence of the SR matched the subject's position only at the end of the experiment. In Fig. 3H, subpanel (b), across all recordings from 5 subjects, there was a match between the SR and the subject's position relative to the active device.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0162] The study then tested the dependence of the SR amplitude on the distance between the sensor module and the head (left temple). SRs at 9 different distances were conducted in 3 subjects in two experiments. In Fig. 3H, subpanel (c) shows recordings from one of these experiments and bar plots of mean amplitudes and standard errors of the peri¬ cranial SR as a function of distance. The amplitude declines in distance, with a half-maximal decrease of about 2.7 cm.

[0163] To investigate whether the measured physical effect can also be recorded close to the rest of the body, the study exposed a hand to the sensor module of the sentiometer at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 cm distances. The study observed a peri-manual SR (n=3) that was 31% and reduced in amplitude compared to peri-cranial SR when the two were measured under the same conditions. The peri-manual SR also declined with distance, like the peri-cranial SR. In Fig. 3H, subpanel (d) shows traces and bar plots of peri-manual SR.

[0164] Fig. 31 shows sentiometric recordings obtained from the third prototyped device when exposed to body heat, respired air, inaudible sound, and static and radiating electromagnetic fields. Since temperature may affect laser sources and current flow in electronic circuits, the study tested whether SR was produced by exposure to 37 °C body temperature. The study measured the extent of the temperature increase produced at I and 5 cm from the human head (temporal region). The temperature increases at these distances were 2.3 °C and 1.2 °C, respectively. The change in the sentiometric baseline amplitude due to exposure of a beaker containing water warmed to or cooled from 37 °C in 2 °C steps corresponded to 16 au / °C and 13 au / °C for increasing and decreasing temperatures, respectively. The study also conducted recordings at 37 °C by keeping the sensor at this temperature with a beaker containing warm water (i.e., 37 °C water bath) and exposing it to a hand for 30 minutes at 1 cm. In Fig. 31, subpanel (a) shows an SR like that at room temperature in amplitude. However, the warmer water bath temperature increased the sentiometric baseline. To investigate whether SR was an artifact of air movement or of changes in air composition due to respiration, the study placed the entire device, including the connected electronic tablet, in a stainless-steel vacuum container, as shown in Fig. 31, subpanel (b). The vacuum pressure in the container was about 26 inches of mercury. The peak SR amplitude in response to exposure of the left temple under these conditions was not different from that obtained when the container lid was left open to air, indicating that SR was not due to breathed air or to air displacement caused by inaudible sound or ultrasound waves.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0165] To test whether any perturbation of the static magnetic field caused the observed SR, the study exposed the device sensor to an axially magnetized (1.48 T) N52 (0.635 cm diameter and 1.905 cm length) and diametrically magnetized N42 (1.905 cm diameter and 1.905 cm length) cylindrical neodymium magnet at a distance of 1 cm. At 1 cm, the measured magnetic flux was about 135 mT and 12 mT for the two magnets, respectively. Recordings showed no deviation of the sentiometric baseline in response to the magnet. These results ruled out a direct influence of a static magnetic field on the sentiometric recording. In Fig. 31, subpanel (c), the amplitude and time course of the SR produced by the left temple did not differ if the sensor module was placed within a Faraday shield bag or left exposed to radiating electromagnetic fields. There were also no differences in the amplitude and time course of the SR when the sensor module was shielded from the left temple by 3 metal sheets (e.g., copper, aluminum, and tin) (see Fig. 31, subpanel (d)) or left unshielded. These findings ruled out any contribution of radiofrequency electromagnetic field interference or static electric fields to the production of SR. Exposing the sensor module to the left temple with the laser beam turned off also did not produce any deviation from the recorded sentiometric baseline, indicating that there was no voltage response produced in the photodiodes by any ultraweak photon emissions [35’] from the head.

[0166] The study also investigated whether other animal species produce an SR by exposing mice and 4 different invertebrates (e.g., blue crabs, California blackworms, crayfish, cherry stone clams) to the sensor module.

[0167] Fig. 31 shows example sentiometric measurements for the mice and 2 invertebrates (e.g., blue crabs, California blackworms)obtained from the sensor module of the prototyped apparatus / device. As shown, a mouse, when exposed to the sensor module for 60 minutes at less than 5 cm, evoked an SR similar to that in humans but of smaller amplitude. A 60-minute exposure in 10 mice produced a peak SR amplitude of 516.5 ± 32.2 au. The invertebrates, blue crabs (n = 9 crabs), and California blackworms (n > 200 blackworms in a clump), exposed for 60 minutes to the sentiometric sensor, produced an inverted SR. Other invertebrates (e.g., crayfish, cherry stone clams) also produced an inverted response with a similar time course.

[0168] General anesthesia can induce a loss of consciousness

[0027] , If the SR is produced by a mechanism that underlies, or is related to, consciousness, then all general anesthetics should attenuate the SR. The study tested this prediction with an inhalant anesthetic (e.g., isoflurane (If)), and 3 injectable anesthetics (e.g., ketamine / xylazine (KX),Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 pentobarbital (Pb), and propofol (Pf)) administered intraperitoneally in mice. All anesthetics produced similar alterations in the time course and peak amplitude of the SR.

[0169] In Fig. 3J, subpanels (b) - (c), the mean half-maximal rise time (e.g., for n = 4 mice) was about 44% shorter under anesthesia (e.g., 7.6 ± 0.4 minutes for KX; 11.3 ± 0.6 minutes for If) than in the preanesthesia waking state (e.g., 14.9 ± 1.0 minutes for KX; 19.9 ± 1.2 minutes for If). The mean amplitudes at 60 minutes (e.g., for n = 4 mice) were about 42% lower under anesthesia (e.g., 353 ± 61 au for KX; 266 ± 16 au for If) than before anesthesia (e.g., 535 ± 39 au for KX; 490 ± 19 au for If). The observed differences were statistically significant, as determined by a paired t-test, for both the rise time (p = 0.005 for KX; p = 0.012 for It) and amplitude (p = 0.014 for KX; p = 0.0018 for If), where p denotes the probability that the observed differences occurred by chance from the paired t-test. These effects reversed upon recovery, except for the decrease in amplitude with KX over the duration of the experiment, likely due to its prolonged blockade of NMD A receptors

[0028] . The decreases in amplitude at 60 minutes and in rise time showed small differences among the four types of anesthetics.

[0170] The study also conducted continuous light intensity recordings in mice (n = 3 mice) before (55 minutes), during (55 minutes), and after (70 minutes) administration of If to monitor the transition from the awake state to the anesthetized state and the recovery from the latter state to normal wakefulness over a period of 3 hours. The study kept each mouse in a loose restraining tube inside the anesthesia chamber supplied with O₂ and CO₂ or air throughout the recording. The flow of If into the chamber was turned on at 55 minutes after the start of exposure of the awake mouse to the sensor and stopped at 55 minutes later (see Fig. 3J). The recorded baseline amplitude declined during anesthesia relative to the preanesthesia awake state and took more than 60 minutes to begin rising again, returning to the preanesthesia level during recovery.

[0171] Bidirectional SR in the decapitated 5 head of euthanized mice. In a roden t, neuronal electrical activity ceases within 30 seconds of the last electrocardiographic signal, as indicated by electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings

[0029] . In dying human patients, the EEG becomes isoelectric a few minutes before the last heartbeat

[0030] , However, neurons within the brain may not be electrically active hours after complete cessation of cerebral blood flow and perfusion. If neuronal electrical excitation was required for the process that produced an SR, then light-intensity recordings conducted after euthanasia in mice could show the disappearance of the SR at a certain latency after the cessation of the heartbeat. TheAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 latency duration could be in the range of 60-90 minutes, given the slowness of the effect's time course, which originated before death.

[0172] The study performed euthanasia by carbon dioxide inhalation on 3 mice. Fig.3K shows SR to 60-minute exposures of mice to the third prototyped device’s light intensity sensor before and after euthanasia. As shown, a 60-minute exposure beginning at 5 minutes after cessation of the heartbeat showed a decaying SR. The mean peak amplitude of this SR was 280 + 13 au, which was 54% of the mean amplitude of the SR before euthanasia induction (531 ± 65 au). A 60-minute recording from 110 minutes to 170 minutes showed little or no measurable SR. As with general anesthesia, the half-maximal rise time showed a 49% reduction in the postmortem SR (8.1 ± 0.3 minutes) compared to the SR before death (17.2 ± 2.9 minutes). However, when the study decapitated the mice after euthanasia and exposed the head and body separately, but at the same time, to sensor modules of two different devices (e.g., two prototypes #3), the study observed a peri-cranial SR that was initially biphasic (between 5 and 65 minutes) and then inverted (between 110 and 170 minutes). In contrast to the head, the headless body showed a decaying response at the 5- minute onset time after clinical death, with the light intensity recording becoming isoelectric at the 110-minute postmortem time point. Persistence of the peri-cranial SR at and after 110 minutes when there was little or no SR produced by the headless body suggested that the SR originated in the brain in mice and spread to the rest of the body, where the SR could be amplified because of its larger volume compared to the head. This prolonged persistence after death also suggested that the source of the peri-cranial SR could not be neuronal electrical activity.

[0173] Unresponsive patients with primary brain injury show reduced SR and restoration with Recovery. To examine whether the amplitude of SR was reduced in unresponsive and unconscious adult patients with brain injury due to any cause, the study conducted 2-3 recordings of 30-minute peri-manual SR on different days in each of 3 patients treated in the ICU. The first patient, a 69-year-old male, had acute encephalopathy supervening on Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD). He recovered from the acute condition over several days. The second patient, a 47-year-old male, experienced severe intracerebral hemorrhage and remained in the same state as determined clinically over the period during which the recordings were conducted. The third patient, a 75-year-old male, had a large subdural hematoma and remained clinically unresponsive and unconscious during the recordings. None of the patients received sedatives.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0174] The study compared the results from the 3 male patients having brain injury with those from 1-3 recordings conducted in 4 conscious healthy adults (2 males and 2 females) under the same conditions in the ICU. Fig. 3L shows the SR recordings of the 3 patients with brain injury (3 males) and the 4 healthy adults (2 males and 2 females). In Fig.3L, subpanel (a), the first recordings in the three patients with brain injury showed a reduction in mean peak SR amplitude (251 ± 110 au) compared to the mean peak PR amplitude in the healthy controls (667 ± 84 au). In Fig. 3L, subpanel (b) shows subsequent recordings in each patient with a brain injury. As shown, the first patient showed a progressive increase in peak SR amplitude with clinical recovery, achieving a normal SR 9 days after the initial flat SR. The other two patients with a brain injury showed a slight progressive reduction of the peak amplitude, consistent with a lack of change in their clinical condition. In the awake state, SR did not decline until its source (e.g., hand, head, or body) was removed from the proximity of the third prototyped device’s light intensity sensor. By contrast, a common feature in the three patients with brain injury was the premature decline of the SR with or without the occurrence of more than one peak before the removal of the hand. This observation suggested that the injured brains of these patients were unable to maintain a high, constant level of consciousness, as reflected by the SR amplitude.

[0175] SR data from patients and healthy adults also facilitated the study to test whether SR was caused by changes in body temperature. The SR peak amplitudes ranged from 31.5 au to 758.3 au. However, the corresponding body temperatures measured in patients varied only from 97.6 °F to 98.7 °F. The study correlated the patients’ body temperatures with the highest peak amplitude of their SRs on each recording day and found no correlation (see Fig. 3L, subpanel (c)), confirming that changes in body temperature could not cause changes in SR amplitude.

[0176] Prototype #4. Fig. 3M shows another configuration of the sensor module 328 of Fig. 3G that can measure diverging / diffracting waves. The module 328 includes a pinhole aperture 330 to which the laser source 320 is positioned. The laser light 332 from the laser source 320 passes through the pinhole aperture 330. The sensor module 328 includes a single central photodiode 334 to sample the light 332 emerging from the pinhole 330. The response 336 (shown as 336’ and 336”) can change shape in the presence of a collapse of the beam (336’) or no collapse of the beam (336”), e.g., due to the peri-somatic effect. Plots 338 (shown as 338a, 338b) show the measurement at two orientations of the sensor module 328.

[0177] Prototype #5. Fig. 3N shows another configuration of a sensor module 340 configured to measure diverging / diffracting waves. The sensor module 340 employs a whiteAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 light LED 342, instead of a laser LED (e.g., 320), that generates light measured by photodiodes 344 to assess the peri-somatic effect. Because sensor module 340 can detect a response, the detection of the peri-somatic effect does not appear to depend on a specific wavelength. Plot 342 shows the response appears to be inverted, with the highlighted region depicting the duration of exposure.

[0178] Mach-Zehnder Interferometer. The study also considered a second apparatus, as another embodiment, as a miniaturized Mach-Zehnder interferometer (see Fig. IF) in which, instead of a slit partition, two beam splitters and two mirrors may be used. As shown in Fig. IF, the light from the laser diode may pass through the first beam splitter and be split into two perpendicular beams. Each beam may then be reflected by a mirror, and the two reflected beams are passed through the second beam splitter. The arrangement of the splitters and mirrors could be such that light waves combine to reform the original beam in the second beam splitter. The combined beam is then detected by one of two light sensors (e.g., photodiodes) positioned at a fixed distance from each other, perpendicular to each other, if the waves do not collapse into photons en route to the splitters. If this collapse occurs due to the hypothetical mechanism related to conscious experience as predicted, then the second sensor could also detect a light beam. Therefore, currents from both sensors are measured, and the ratio of their amplitudes can be computed to detect the experience-related collapse.

[0179] Methodology. The study developed two versions of the third prototyped device, each with a sensor module containing a low-power 5 mW, 650 nm, 3 mm aperture red dot laser light-emitting diode (LED) without an automatic power control circuit and up to 5 photodiodes. The sensor module in each version wras connected to a microcontroller board (e.g., STM32, DIANN, China) with a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter. In the first version, the sensor module had a partition containing a vertical double slit (1 mm- wide slits separated by 2 mm) placed between the laser LED and a horizontal array of 5 photodiodes, which produced an interference pattern. The photodiodes sampled the bright interference bands. In the second version, 4 photodiodes formed the vertices of a quadrilateral around a central photodiode. The outer photodiodes sampled the diffracted light waves emitted from the laser LED.

[0180] The analog channel output from all photodiodes was fed into the analog pins of the microcontroller board and digitized at 12 bits on a 0 - 4095 scale. The digital output sampled at 100 Hz was streamed and logged using a serial monitor program (e.g., Serial USB Terminal version 1.55 on an Android tablet, Kai Morich; or CoolTerm version 2.0.1, Roger Meier, on a Windows 11 PC). The raw voltage values from the 4 outer channels representingAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 diffracted beams were subjected to principal component analysis to identify the component of their baseline deviations that is shared across all channels to the greatest extent (1stprincipal component score), which exceeded 97% in all recordings. A further normalization step of the first principal component score time series involved subtraction of its amplitude at each time point from its first time point, which resulted in an inversion of all values. The inversion allowed the study to depict the degree of intensity decreased as a positive response, with its amplitude representing its strength. The displayed plot of amplitude as a function of time was a smoothed running average of the amplitudes over 1 - 5 seconds in Figs. 3H - 3L. All data transformations and plotting were performed using MATLAB, a technical computing language.

[0181] The experiments included 22 healthy adults (n = 22), 3 unresponsive patients (n = 3), and 38 mice (n = 38) in total. In all experiments, the study recorded a 30-45 minute baseline before and after each exposure of photo-modulatory sources (e.g., body parts) to the sensor module. In human subjects, exposure of the head to the sensor module at 1-30 cm involved the left or right temple just above the ear. Exposure of the left or right hand involved the palmar surface at similar distances. In the ICU recordings, the hand was positioned at 15 cm from the sensor module on a plastic frame during the pre-exposure and post-exposure 45-min baseline recordings. The SR to hand exposure was recorded by placing the hand 1 cm above the sensor module on the plastic frame.

[0182] Exposure of mice, or their decapitated heads, was conducted by restraining each live mouse, or placing a dead mouse or head, in a perforated plastic tube with a 4-cm diameter to allow' limited front and back, side-to-side, and up-and-down movement of the mouse and free movement of air. The tube was placed over the sensor module, or in the case of the isoflurane (If) (2%) anesthesia experiments, inside the anesthesia chamber placed above the sensor module. For injectable anesthetics, the study used the intraperitoneal route (e.g., sodium pentobarbital 70 mg / kg, propofol 100 mg / kg, ketamine 100 mg / kg, and xylazine 18 mg / kg). The distance of the mouse from the sensor module was less than 5 cm. The study- placed crabs, crayfish, and clams one at a time in a closed polypropylene container. The container was then placed over the sensor module. Before exposing the animal in the container to the sensor module, the study exposed the empty, closed container to the sensor module to make sure that the container did not induce an SR. The study exposed the California blackworms to the sensor module by (i) pouring a clump of blackworms (with more than 200 worms), along with water, into a polyethylene bag and (ii) holding the bag over the sensor module at 1 cm. The study exposed the bag with water alone to the sensorAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 module to ensure the water did not cause an SR. The study completed all recordings at room temperature, except those conducted to measure the effect of temperature.

[0183] In the experiments, the measured SR parameters included the mean peak amplitude and the half-maximal rise time. The study performed a statistical comparison of these parameters between different conditions using two-tailed t-tests (also referred to as paired t-tests). In the ICU recordings, the study performed Pearson’s con-elation analysis on the SR and body temperature values.

[0184] Experiment #4 - Slit Box Apparatus / Device

[0185] The study measured the level of consciousness (“sentiometry”) using two slit apparatuses (e.g., prototyped device #1, also referred to as prototype #1). In the study, a test apparatus was placed near a subject’s head within 5 cm of the head. A reference apparatus was placed at various distances from the subject and in proximity up to 90 cm from the subject.

[0186] The study compared the computed value of the deviation in the amplitudes of currents generated by the test slit apparatus close to the head with the corresponding value from the distant reference apparatus at the same time points. The results indicated that the subject was conscious, and the magnitude of the mean difference between the two values was proportional to her / his level of consciousness. For interferometers, a substantially larger ratio of the test interferometer to the reference interferometer corresponds to the equivalent measure (e.g., Q-metric) of consciousness.

[0187] The study determined the brain activity code of a conscious experience (referred to as “qualiagraphy”) at different times and in response to a stimulus. The study recorded measurements at different positions on the cap of the test apparatus proximal to the head variations. The recording collected values over the duration of the stimulus. Each stimulus presentation can be randomly repeated to record time-locked averages over a large number of such presentations. The averaged waveform obtained could represent the unique pattern of brain activity that led to the conscious experience associated with that stimulus.

[0188] Animal Observations. Fig. 4A shows the prototyped device #1 placed inside an enclosure with live mice. Fig. 4B shows a lime-series recording of a single photodiode channel's response to light intensity at its position in the interference pattern.

[0189] Fig. 4C show's normalized recorded measurements acquired from two canine subjects at 0 cm (touching subject) at two-time intervals.

[0190] Figs. 4D and 4E show raw measurements of the prototyped device #1 placed next to five awake mice at two locations (next to the animals and about 11 feet away). In Fig.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 4D, the raw measurements for the 6 channels are shown for a given time. Fig. 4E shows a time-series plot of the raw measurement for one of the channels.

[0191] Figs. 4F and 4G show raw measurements of the prototyped device #1 placed next to five awake mice at two locations (next to the animals and about 3 feet away).

[0192] Human Observations. The study collected recordings of people in different experimental contexts.

[0193] Figs. 5 A - 5D each shows, for 4 respective subjects (e.g., L, A, B, S), normalized recorded measurements acquired at 4 different distances (0 cm (touching subject), 30 cm away, 90 cm away, and 180 cm away) and at four-time intervals (see Fig. 5E). The normalized recorded measurement maintained persistence in the data. The measurements were taken in an empty room during the day, with the prototyped device #1 placed at the respective locations for each denoted measurement. The time series plotted was the normalized trace derived, as discussed above, from the first principal component obtained by principal component analysis of data from 4 off-center channels of the device.

[0194] Fig. 6A shows a measurement acquired in the empty room having one subject for a portion of the measurement. Fig. 6B shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with 1 subject sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours).

[0195] Fig. 6C shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with another subject sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours). The prototyped device #1 was placed less than 10 cm apart from the subject. Fig. 6D shows a similar nighttime recording with two sleeping subjects. The second subject fell asleep and woke up during the recording, while the first subject was still asleep.

[0196] Fig. 6E shows a measurement acquired in the empty room with 2 subjects sleeping throughout a nighttime recording (10 hours). The prototyped device #1 was placed about 30 feet away from each of the two subjects.

[0197] Figs. 6F, 6G, and 6H show three measurements acquired at a similar time of the day with the prototyped device #1 placed in a laboratory. People variously moved in and out of the space throughout the day (Fig. 6F). The second measurement (Fig. 6G) was performed with the prototyped device #1 placed in a lead-shielded box to isolate the measurement of high-energy radiation effects in a hospital setting. The third measurement (Fig. 6H) was performed with the prototyped device #1 placed in a Faraday-shielded enclosure to isolate the measurement from radiofrequency electromagnetic field effects.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0198] Fig. 7 A shows a measurement acquired from a person with the prototyped device #1 held in different orientations (perpendicular to the ground and parallel to the ground).

[0199] Fig. 7B shows a measurement acquired from a person for a period of time to determine the time to saturation of the measurement.

[0200] Fig. 7C shows measurements acquired from a person using the prototyped device #1 for a set of activities (reading and watching a video).

[0201] Experiment #4 - Divergent Light Measurement Device

[0202] The study also considered a third apparatus, as another embodiment, based on a slit partition experiment but without the slit to measure divergent light (e.g., Figs. 3F, 3G, 3H). This class of system (also referred to as a divergent-wave -based sentiometer) could record similar peri-somatic measurements to those of the above-discussed slit-system configuration.

[0203] Fig. 8A shows the prototype configured as a divergent-wave measurement device (also referred to as a divergent-wave-based sentiometer).

[0204] Fig. 8B shows measurements acquired of a person with the divergent- wave measurement device modified (double slit included or no double slit).

[0205] Fig. 8C shows normalized recorded measurements acquired at 5 different locations from a person: the top, forehead, right, left, and back of the head.

[0206] Fig. 8D shows a measurement obtained with the divergent-wave measurement device placed in a vacant laboratory.

[0207] Fig. 8E shows a measurement with the laser diode disabled to illustrate that the measurement is associated with the laser source.

[0208] Fig. 8F shows measurements from two divergent-wave measurement devices, one with a double-slit configuration and one without, placed within 10 cm of a single animal (mice).

[0209] Somatic Response in Animals. The study measured somatic effects using animal subjects using a divergence / diffraction device (e.g., Fig. 3G) (also referred to as a divergent- wave measurement device). Fig. 9 A shows measurements acquired from a person (primate) and an animal (rodent). Fig. 9B shows measurements acquired from invertebrate animals.

[0210] In the observation, invertebrates showed inverted responses. The highlighted regions in the plots of Figs. 9 A and 9B depict the duration of exposure to the animal.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0211] Persistence and Alteration of the Response After Death in Mice. The study measured somatic effects in animal subjects using a divergence / diffraction device (e.g., Fig.3G) (also referred to as a divergent-wave measurement device) after the animals' deaths. Fig.9C shows measured responses to 20-minute exposure. The response appears to be inverted 2 hours after the induction of euthanasia.

[0212] Fig. 9D shows a measured sentiometric response from an animal (euthanized mice) with a decapitated head and body. In Fig. 9D, the baseline measurement shows an inversion of the response relative to head exposure (before death).

[0213] Fig. 9E shows the measured sentiometric response from an excised brain of an animal. In Fig. 9E, the excised brain produced an inverted response. A brain-dead patient could show an inverted response.

[0214] Response to Other Body Parts. The study also measured somatic effects on body parts other than the brain or head. Fig. 10 shows the measured sentiometric response following a 30-minute exposure of the hand to a sensor module of a sentiometer placed 15 cm from the side of the body. Fig. 10 shows the effect spread to the rest of the body. The pre¬ response baseline includes the effect at 1 cm. The highlighted region in the plot depicts the duration of exposure.

[0215] Plasmonic Resonance. Fig. 11 shows an increase in the inverted SR amplitude (e.g., an increase in diffracted light intensity), measured by the divergent-wave measurement device (e.g., Fig. 3G), that was induced by light in copper. The increase in the inverted SR amplitude could be caused by the excitation of plasmonic resonance in copper.

[0216] Metal Polishing. Fig. 12 shows a positive SR (e.g., a decrease in diffracted light intensity), measured by the divergent- wave measurement device (e.g., Fig. 3G), that was caused by the transient accumulation of electrons on a zinc plate after their movement to the plate surface. Electron movement to the plate surface occurred after the study polished a zinc plate.

[0217] Discussion

[0218] Discussion #1. Developing a test for detecting consciousness is an ongoing area of research, and further insights into the basis of consciousness are of general and scientific interest. A well-established test would have broader applications in anesthesiology, the diagnosis of altered states of consciousness, sleep medicine, the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions, law enforcement and intelligence work, the detection of consciousness in non¬ human organisms, and the mapping of the neural code of conscious experience.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0219] Currently, no method has been developed to accurately assess, measure, and monitor the levels of consciousness in patients. Approaches involve the use of fMRI, EEG, TMS, and, in recent times, the combinatory use of the above-listed techniques and machine learning. Currently, there are two principal commercial EEG anesthesia monitors widely used: (1) The Bispectral index (BIS) from Aspect Medical Systems, Inc., USA, and Covidien pic, Ireland, and (2) The “Entropy Module” from GE Healthcare, US. Both use EEG signaling and algorithmic processes to monitor various states of consciousness. However, these two have been observed to have varying degrees of success.

[0220] There is art in the literature (Physics Essays, 2019) that uses the collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics as a measure of mind-over-matter effects of conscious will. The current disclosure is built on the concept that an apparatus that can detect the conversion of light waves into photons should be able to confirm its two main predictions, namely: 1) that a conscious experience-producing neural activity focus located within a short distance of this apparatus should convert more light waves into photons; and 2) the temporal pattern of this conversion when detected as a signal above the baseline noise should represent the code for the corresponding experience.

[0221] Recently, Cleveland Medical Devices Inc. and Everest Biomedical Instruments introduced the Wavelet-based Anesthetic Value for Central Nervous System (WAVCNS) index, based on the company’s NeuroSense monitor. Like BIS, WAV is based on the analysis of EEG signals recorded from surgical patients on a 0 to 100 scale. In a recent study, CleveMed investigators reported that WAVCNS outperformed BIS. The researchers attributed the performance difference to a 15-second time delay during induction that exists with BIS but not with WAVCNS. BIS also uses unilateral monitoring, which CleveMed says hampers intra-patient reproducibility. Everest Biomedical Instruments also markets a system called SNAP II to help assess the level of consciousness. The SNAP index uses both high- and low-frequency EEG signals, evaluated in real time.

[0222] Discussion #2. Brain activity can be noninvasively measured using electromagnetic recording techniques, such as electroencephalography [ 1 ’] and magnetoencephalography [2’_], and blood oxygenation and blood flow' monitoring methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging [3’] and functional near-infrared spectroscopy [4’]. While correlates of conscious states can be extracted from data obtained with these methods, they do not distinguish conscious from unconscious processing in the brain. The exemplary system and method in the study can detect a new physical effect of apparent neural origin in the peri-somatic space that might allow such differentiation. This effect is aAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 transient, slow decrease in the intensity of diffracted light emitted by a low-power laser diode in a photoelectronic device placed close to the head or any other part of the body of an awake subject. It is markedly attenuated by general anesthesia in mice and unconsciousness in unresponsive patients in the intensive care unit. Its polarity is reversed, corresponding to an increase in diffracted light intensity when the exemplary system is exposed to the decapitated head of a mouse immediately after death. Exposure of live invertebrates to the exemplary system also produces a polarity reversal. Having ruled out non-biological and artifactual explanations for these findings, the study concluded that they point to a previously unrecognized biophysical phenomenon that might be related to consciousness.

[0223] Discussion #3. Existing noninvasive neurophysiological recording methods can acquire neuronal correlates of consciousness, but they do not differentiate between conscious and unconscious states mechanistically. Here the study provides a method that detects a new physical effect of apparent neural origin in the peri-somatic space that might allow such differentiation. The effect is a slow decrease in the intensity of diffracted low power laser light emitted within a photoelectronic device placed close to the body of an awake subject. It is markedly attenuated by general anesthesia in mice and unconsciousness in patients. Its direction is reversed when the device is exposed to live invertebrates or to the decapitated head of an euthanized mouse. These findings appears to reveal a previously unrecognized biophysical phenomenon that appears to be related to consciousness.

[0224] The existing methods of studying brain function rely on our understanding that neural information processing involves action potentials and synaptic transmission occurring within neuronal networks. These methods have greatly expanded neuroscientific knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of sensory processing, object representation, self and body image representation, processing of emotions, interoception and proprioception, memory storage and retrieval, volition and motor planning and action. However, they cannot yet clearly distinguish between conscious and unconscious brain activity or detect and measure the level of consciousness in any organics. The phenomenon of consciousness itself continues to elude a scientific explanation, despite having been the subject of intense philosophical and scientific debate for centuries. Recently, a large-scale experimental effort to test two prominent theories of consciousness, Integrated Information Theory and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, and intraoperative electrophysiological recordings under an adversarial collaboration, yielded inconclusive results.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0225] Neuroscientific investigations focus on the notions that neuronal electrical activity, computation in neural networks, mode of distribution of neural information, complexity of information processing, and / or predictive processing, are somehow responsible for conscious awareness or subjective experience. Nonetheless, the lack of progress in pursuing these avenues of research to obtain compelling evidence in support of these views has led to unconventional speculations, for example, involving a revival of old quantum theoretical ideas and new quantum proposals inspired by neurobiology. There is now growing evidence that quantum physicochemical processes play wide-ranging roles in biology, such as quantum superposition and coherence in photosynthesis, inelastic electron tunneling in olfactory ligand-receptor interactions, and weak magnetic field effects on the radical pair mechanism in cryptochromes in avian migration. Other quantum effects include light harvesting and exciton diffusion in microtubules which is attenuated by general anesthetics, isotopic effects of xenon as an anesthetic and increased fluorescence quantum yield in biological networks containing tryptophans. While these examples from the nascent field of quantum biology offer a plausibility argument that quantum processes might play some role in the emergence of consciousness, this explanation has so far remained largely speculative in nature and devoid of clear testable psychophysical predictions.

[0226] Drawing inspiration from the repeated convergence of intuitions of prominent physicists, both historical and contemporary, on the connection between the mind and the measurement problem in quantum mechanics and the well-recognized central role of the light wave-particle duality at this interface, the study tested whether proximity to human subjects and other animals might modulate in a readily detectable and reproducible manner light wave phenomena such as interference and diffraction and whether such modulation is affected by a change in the level of consciousness.

[0227] The study observed, in recordings conducted with a simple photoelectronic device (i.e., the Sentiometer) placement of its sensor in the peri-somatic space for brief durations is associated with a marked distance-dependent change in the intensity of diffracted light, characterized by a decrease in human subjects and mice, and an increase in invertebrates. 'The study also observed that the decrease is attenuated by general anesthesia in mice and unconsciousness due to brain injury in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Furthermore, a decapitated mouse head shows a paradoxical increase in intensity. These observations suggest a possible relationship of the measured light wave intensity modulation to the neural mechanism underlying consciousness and offer a potential newAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 method to record and measure a correlate of the relative change in the conscious and unconscious activity of the brain.

[0228] A noninvasive photoelectronic instrument detects a new peri-cranial physical effect. The study developed a photoelectronic instalment, the Sentiometer, as described herein that measure either interference or diffraction of light waves emitted by a low power laser diode. For each recording, the device connected to a laptop computer or an Android tablet recorded the voltage output of four off-center photodiodes that sampled diffracted light in separate channels, using a serial monitor application that logged the data at the sampling rate of 100 Hz. All experiments began by recording the sentiometric baseline with no source of activity close to it within a radius of 180 cm for at least 30 min. It took 20 - 30 min for the baseline to stabilize at a constant level. A time series of scores of the first principal component of these data are determined. In the first experiment, after 40 min, the study instructed each human subject to sit on a chair for 10 - 15 min such that his / her left temple was 1 cm from the sensor module. Sentiometric recordings from all channels during exposure of the head to the sensor module consistently showed a large decrease in intensity that peaked at the end of the exposure and declined gradually over -30 min. Principal component analysis of the 4 off-center channel traces to measure the shared variance across all channels showed that >97% of their variance was accounted for by the first principal component.

[0229] The study inverted the component as the final representation of the recorded effect in all subsequent experiments. The study expressed the strength of the recorded sentiometric response (SR) in arbitrary units (au). 10-min recordings from healthy adult human subjects with the sensor module placed at 1 cm from the left temple revealed the strength of SR to be 601.4 ± 61.6 au (mean and standard error of the mean). To rule out any element of subjective bias in the recording of SR and in attributing it to actual exposure of the head to the device sensor, the study conducted a double-blind experiment in which the subject who was alone in a closed room, sat at random on one of two chairs placed 90 cm apart (a distance at which little or no SR was detected). Each chair was fitted with either an active or an inactive device, indistinguishable to the subject. Using an electronic tablet the subject indicated the time and the chair on which he / she sat. The researcher conducting the experiment who was outside the closed room could find out whether the occurrence of the SR matched with tire position of the subject only at the end of the experiment. In all recordings conducted in subjects there was a perfect match between the SR and the position of the subject relative to the active device. The study then tested the dependence of the SR amplitude on the distance between the sensor module and the head (left temple) by recordingAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 SRs at 9 different distances in two experiments, each conducted in 3 subjects. From the recording, it was observed that the amplitude declines steeply with distance with a half maximal decrease of -2.7 cm.

[0230] Spread of the physical effect is detected in the peri-somatic space. To investigate whether the measured physical effect can also be recorded close to the rest of the body, the study exposed a hand to the sensor module of the Sentiometer at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 cm distance. The study observed a peri-manual SR (n = 3) that was -31% and significantly (p = 0.014, two-tailed Student’s paired t test, n = 3) reduced in amplitude to peri-cranial SR when the two were measured under the same conditions. It also declined with distance like the peri-cranial SR. SR does not appear to be due to body heat, humidity, respired air, inaudible sound, or electromagnetic fields.

[0231] SR is inverted in invertebrates compared to mammals. The study evaluated whether other species of animals produce SR by exposing mice and 4 different invertebrates (blue crabs, California blackworms, crayfish, and cherrystone clams) to the sensor module. A mouse was exposed to the sensor module for 60 min at <5 cm and appeared to evoke an SR like that in humans, but of a smaller amplitude. A 60-min exposure in 10 mice produced a peak SR amplitude of 516 ± 32 au. The invertebrates, blue crabs (n = 9) and 20 California blackworms (>200 in a clump), exposed for 60 min to the sentiometric sensor produced an inverted SR. Other invertebrates also produced an inverted response with a similar time course.

[0232] Example Computing System

[0233] It should be appreciated that the logical operations described above can be implemented (1) as a sequence of computer-implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and / or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as state operations, acts, or modules. These operations, acts, and / or modules can be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, in hardware, and any combination thereof. It should also be appreciated that more or fewer operations can be performed than shown in the figures and described herein. These operations can also be performed in a different order than those described herein.

[0234] The computer system is capable of executing the software components described herein for the exemplary method or systems. In an embodiment, the computingAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 device may comprise two or more computers in communication with each other that collaborate to perform a task. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may be partitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and / or parallel processing of the instructions of the application. Alternatively, the data processed by the application may be partitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and / or parallel processing of different portions of a data set by the two or more computers. In an embodiment, virtualization software may be employed by the computing device to provide the functionality of a number of servers that are not directly bound to the number of computers in the computing device. For example, virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on four physical computers. In an embodiment, the functionality disclosed above may be provided by executing the application and / or applications in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing may comprise providing computing services via a network connection using dynamically scalable computing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part, by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may be established by an enterprise and / or can be hired on an as-needed basis from a third-party provider. Some cloud computing environments may comprise cloud computing resources owned and operated by the enterprise as well as cloud computing resources hired and / or leased from a third-party provider.

[0235] In its most basic configuration, a computing device includes at least one processing unit and system memory. Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device, system memory may be volatile (such as random-access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two.

[0236] The processing unit may be a standard programmable processor that performs arithmetic and logic operations necessary for the operation of the computing device. While only one processing unit is shown, multiple processors may be present. As used herein, processing unit and processor refers to a physical hardware device that executes encoded instructions for performing functions on inputs and creating outputs, including, for example, but not limited to, microprocessors (MCUs), microcontrollers, graphical processing units (GPUs), and application- specific circuits (ASICs). Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed by a processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise executed by one or multiple processors. The computing device may also include a bus or other communication mechanism for communicating information among various components of the computing device.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0237] The processing unit may be configured to execute program code encoded in tangible, computer-readable media. Tangible, computer-readable media refers to any media that is capable of providing data that causes the computing device (i.e., a machine) to operate in a particular fashion. Various computer-readable media may be utilized to provide instructions to the processing unit for execution. Example tangible, computer-readable media may include but is not limited to volatile media, non-volatile media, removable media, and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory 230, removable storage, and non-removable storage are all examples of tangible computer storage media. Example tangible, computer-readable recording media include, but are not limited to, an integrated circuit (e.g., field-programmable gate array or application-specific IC), a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, a solid-state device, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable program read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices.

[0238] In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many types of physical transformations take place in the computer architecture in order to store and execute the software components presented herein. It should also be appreciated that the computer architecture may include other types of computing devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems, personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices known to those skilled in the art.

[0239] It should be understood that the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination thereof. Thus, the methods and apparatuses of the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computing device, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presently disclosed subject matter. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device generally includes a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and / or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. One or more programs may implement or utilize the processes described in connection with the presentlyAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 disclosed subject matter, e.g., through the use of an application programming interface (API), reusable controls, or the like. Such programs may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and it may be combined with hardware implementations.

[0240] Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are explained in some instances in detail herein, it is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

[0241] It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an.” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “5 approximately” one particular value and / or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, other exemplary embodiments include from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value.

[0242] By “comprising” or “containing” or “including” is meant that at least the name compound, element, particle, or method step is present in the composition or article or method, but does not exclude the presence of other compounds, materials, particles, method steps, even if the other such compounds, material, particles, method steps have the same function as what is named.

[0243] In describing example embodiments, terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is intended that each term contemplates its broadest meaning as understood by those skilled in the art and includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more steps of a method does not preclude the presence of additional method steps or intervening method steps between those steps expressly identified. Steps of a method may be performed in a different order than those described herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, it is also to be understood that the mention of one or more components in a device or system does not preclude the presence of additional components or intervening components between those components expressly identified.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0244] The term “about,” as used herein, means approximately, in the region of, roughly, or around. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with a numerical range, it modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. In general, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value above and below the stated value by a variance of 10%. In one aspect, the term “about” means plus or minus 10% of the numerical value of the number with which it is being used. Therefore, about 50%’ means in the range of 45%-55%. Numerical ranges recited herein by endpoints include all numbers and fractions subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.90, 4, 4.24, and 5).

[0245] Similarly, numerical ranges recited herein by endpoints include subranges subsumed within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1-1.5, 1.5-2, 2-2.75, 2.75-3, 3-3.90, 3.90-4, 4-4.24, 4.24-5, 2-5, 3-5, 1 -4, and 2-4). It is also to be understood that all numbers and fractions thereof are presumed to be modified by the term “about.”

[0246] The following patents, applications, and publications, as listed below and throughout this document, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. Reference List #1[1] Seguin, C., Sporns, O. & Zalesky, A. Brain network communication: concepts, models and applications. Nat Rev Neurosci 24, 557-574, doi:10.1038 / s41583-023- 00718-5 (2023).[2] Azarfar, A., Calcini, N., Huang, C., Zeldenrust, F. & Celikel, T. Neural coding: A single neuron's perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 94, 238-247, doi:10.1016 / j.neubiorev.2018.09.007 (2018).[3] Barraclough, N. E. & Perrett, D. I. From single cells to social perception. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 366, 1739-1752, doi:10.1098 / rstb.2010.0352 (2011).[4] Libedinsky, C. Comparing representations and computations in single neurons versus neural networks. Trends Cogn Sci 27, 517-527, doi: 10.1016 / j.tics.2023.03.002 (2023).[5] Castro, F. et al. From rubber hands to neuroprosthetics: Neural correlates of embodiment. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 153, 105351,doi:10.1016 / j.neubiorev.2023.105351 (2023).[6] Dary, Z. et al. Neural bases of the bodily self as revealed by electrical brain stimulation:A systematic review. Hum Brain Mapp 44, 2936-2959, doi:10.1002 / hbm.26253 (2023).Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 [7] Engelen, T. & Mennella, R. Piecing together the puzzle of emotional consciousness.Neurosci Conscious 2023, niad005, doi:10.1093 / nc / niad005 (2023).[8] Engelen, T., Solca, M. & Tallon-Baudry, C. Interoceptive rhythms in the brain. Nat Neurosci 26, 1670-1684, doi:10.1038 / s41593-023-01425-1 (2023).[9] Marasco, P. D. & de Nooij, J. C. Proprioception: A New Era Set in Motion by Emerging Genetic and Bionic Strategies? Annu Rev Physiol 85, 1-24, doi: 10.1146 / annurev- physiol-040122-081302 (2023).110] Tonegawa, S., Pignatelli, M., Roy, D. S. & Ryan, T. J. Memory engram storage and retrieval. Curr Opin Neurobiol 35, 101-109, doi:10.1016 / j.conb.2015.07.009 (2015).

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[0035] KR102095898B1

[0036] US10799134B2

[0037] US20110118619A1Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202

[0038] The Bispectral index (BIS) from Aspect Medical Systems, Inc., USA and Covidien pic, Ireland.

[0039] Depth of Anesthesia Monitoring Devices Market Size, Share, Growth, Report 2021- 2030

[0040] Global Depth of Anesthesia Monitoring Market - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029

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Claims

Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 What is claimed is:

1. A method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment, the method comprising:providing a modular apparatus comprising a housing having a semiconductor-based temperature sensor assembly located therein, wherein the semiconductor-based sensor assembly is configured to measure, via a probe disposed outside the housing, a temperature when the probe is in mechanical contact with a person or animal;placing the modular apparatus in proximity to the person or animal; measuring, via the probe, a temperature; andoutputting, via a computing device on a display, the measured temperature, wherein the measured temperature is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the housing is a heat-insulated enclosed Styrofoam box configured to shield the semiconductor-based sensor assembly from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor-based sensor assembly measures temperature based on electron displacements over a bandgap in a PN junction, wherein the PN junction is formed by a combination of an n-type semiconductor and a p-type semiconductor.

4. A method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment, the method comprising:providing a modular apparatus comprising a housing having located therein a photon source and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas;placing the modular apparatus in proximity to a person or animal;Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the apparatus is in proximity to a person or animal; andoutputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein the measured electrical current is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

5. A method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment, the method comprising:providing a modular apparatus comprising a photon source and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical cun’ent corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas;placing the modular apparatus in proximity to a person or animal;measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the apparatus is in proximity to a person or animal;determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of the plurality of channels or areas that exceeds a pre-defined threshold; andoutputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device, on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure, wherein the consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

6. A method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment, the method comprising:providing a plurality of modular apparatuses each comprising a photon source and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the receivedAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein the plurality of modular apparatuses are disposed at a plurality of locations on a headwear;placing the plurality of modular apparatuses in proximity to a person or animal; measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas while the plurality of apparatuses is in proximity to a person or animal;determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based on the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom for at least one of the plurality of channels or areas that exceeds a pre-defined threshold; andoutputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure, wherein the consciousness or sentience measure is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

7. A method for consciousness, unconsciousness, or sentience assessment, the method comprising:providing an assembly of one or more modular apparatuses, including a first modular apparatus comprising a photon source and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas, wherein first modular apparatus is disposed at a location on a wearable device to be placed on person or animal;providing a second apparatus comprising a photon source and a photonic sensor or sensor assembly housed in a housing, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to (i) receive interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source and (ii) measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas;placing the assembly comprising at least the first modular apparatus at a first position proximal to the person or animal;placing the second apparatus at a second position proximal to the person or animal, wherein the first position is closer to the person or animal than the second position;Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 measuring, via electric circuitries, as a first measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas of the first modular apparatus while the assembly is located at the first position;measuring, via electric circuitries, as a second measurement, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas of the second apparatus while the assembly is located at the second position;determining, by a processor, a consciousness or sentience measure based on the first measurement and the second measurement; andoutputting, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the consciousness or sentience measure or an indicator derived therefrom, wherein the consciousness or sentience measure or the indicator is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

8. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the modular apparatus is disposed on a headwear, a handwear, a fingerwear, a medical cart, a medical stretcher, a medical shelf, or a wall in proximity to the person or animal.

9. The method of claim 6 or 7, where the plurality of modular apparatuses includes at least one of: 2 apparatuses, 3 apparatuses, 4 apparatuses, 5 apparatuses, 6 apparatuses, 7 apparatuses, 8 apparatuses, 9 apparatuses, 10 apparatuses, between 10 and 16 apparatuses, between 16 and 32 apparatuses, and between 32 and 64 apparatuses.

10. The method of any one of claims 6-9, further comprising:generating, by the processor or a different computing device, a visual output of a highest amplitude channel or a statistical parameter derived from the measurement, for each of the plurality of modular apparatuses.

11. The method of any one of claims 4- 10, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises an array of photodiodes.

12. The method of any one of claims 4-11, wherein the photon source comprises one or more LEDs, a laser, or an assembly thereof.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 13. The method of any one of claims 4- 12, wherein the measuring, via electric circuitries, electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas comprises:determining, by the processor or hardware circuitries, band regions for the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the first modular apparatus is identical in configuration to the second apparatus.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the first modular apparatus has a first configuration, wherein the second apparatus has a second configuration, and wherein the first configuration is different from the second configuration.

16. The method of any one of claims 4- 15, wherein the output is used by a clinician or a machine to adjust or administer anesthesia or sedation.

17. The method of any one of claims 4-15, wherein the output is used by a clinician or a machine to identify or provide labels or classification among at least comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious, and locked-in states.

18. The method of any one of claims 4-15, wherein the output is used by a clinician or a machine to (i) quantify perception of pain or distress, (ii) quantify level or state of sleep, or (iii) quantify hallucination states, moods, beliefs, recurrent thoughts or recurrent feelings.

19. The method of any one of claims 4-18, wherein the modular apparatus includes a single or double slit located between the photon source and the photonic sensor or sensor assembly to generate the interference pattern.

20. The method of any one of claims 4-18, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly of the modular apparatus is configured to measure the divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source.

21. The method of any one of claims 4-20, wherein the at least one elongated area includes a horizontal elongated region.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT20220222. The method of any one of claims 4-20, wherein the at least one elongated area includes a vertical elongated region.

23. The method of any one of claims 4-20, wherein the housing is configured to shield the photon source, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly, and the electric circuitries from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

24. A device or system comprising:a modular apparatus comprising:a housing having a photon source located therein,a photonic sensor or sensor assembly, wherein the photonic sensor or sensor assembly comprises at least one elongated area defining a plurality of channels or areas each configured to receive an interference pattern or divergent waves of light emitted by the photon source; anda controller configured with electrical circuitry to measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons for each of the plurality of channels or areas.

25. The device or system of claim 24, wherein the modular apparatus can be placed in proximity to a person or animal to provide a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

26. The device or system of claims 24 or 25, wherein the housing is configured to shield the photon source, the photonic sensor or sensor assembly, and the controller from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

27. The device or system of claim 24 or 25, further comprising features recited in any one of the methods of claims 4-23.

28. A device or system comprising:a modular apparatus comprising:a miniaturized Mach-Zehnder interferometer; andAttorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT202202 a controller configured with electric circuitries to measure electrical current corresponding to the received photons of the miniaturized Mach Zehnder interferometer, wherein the controller is configured to output, via the electric circuitries or a computing device on a display, the measured electrical current or a parameter derived therefrom, wherein the measured electrical current is employed as a measure or indicator of consciousness or sentience of the person or animal.

29. The device or system of claim 28, wherein the modular apparatus further comprises:a housing configured to shield the miniaturized Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the controller from environmental heat, environmental radiofrequency, environmental air chemicals, and external capacitive coupling.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to (i) perform in whole or in part any one of the methods of claims 4-23 or (ii) operate in whole or in part any one of the devices or systems of claims 24-29.

31. A method for assessing sleep quality, sleep cycle, and consciousness of a person during sleep, wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

32. A method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal in an intensive care unit (ICU), wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

33. A method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal after administration of anesthesia or sedation in preparation for a surgery, wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

34. A method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person during a meditation session, wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

35. A method for continuously monitoring consciousness or sentience of a person or an animal for research associated with pseudoscience, wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.Attorney Docket No. 10063-115WO1OTT20220236. A method for determining frequency and nature of consciousness, sentience, moods, and feelings of a person in psychiatric treatment, where the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

37. A method for detecting lies and deciphering thoughts, feelings, beliefs, plans, and intents of a person in law enforcement, wherein the method implements the method of any one of claims 1-7.

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