These Headphones Track Your Brain Activity and Focus

Neurable's headphones, Enten

Imagine your focus and emotions seamlessly turning into insights, readily applicable to your everyday life. Picture a world where you can visibly see the impact of your surrounds – be it your location, morning coffees, or interactions with friends – on the workings of your brain. For Neurable, this vision is far from science fiction. It is a reality that they are rapidly bringing to us.

The Boston-based neurotechnology company has a goal of integrating EEG sensors into everyday devices, providing interpretations of users' brain waves.

From the Beginning

In 2010, Dr. Ramses Alcaide conducted a small mind-control experiment in a lab at the University of Michigan in 2010. Since then, nothing was the same for him and his co-founder, Adam Molner.

Thinking Cap?

In 2016, Ramses and Molner came out with a product far from what you can see above. Neurable created a can that can detect brain wave activity and turn it into action, allowing for control of devices such as toys, cars, wheelchairs, or video games. It is all related to a brain signal called P300, which Alcaide has figured out how to detect.

In 2017, they unveiled DK1, a device proving that all of this is possible, through a VR game which they called "A Game You Can Control With Your Mind". The purpose of the game was to escape an empty room with your mind only, a product so groundbreaking that it landed the company on the cover of the New York Times.

Neurable’s Challenge and Brainstorming

Yes, the discovery was great, and yes, attention was rolling in. Unfortunately, the opportunities for commercialization of the device were limited, apart from being a cool, futuristic product.

Following years of listening to customers needs and market trends, Neurable came to new realizations. They noticed a growing need for self-optimization and performance improvements, and that they could add a layer of such brain analytics on top of VR. In fact, their new solution became implemented in multiple employee training programmes as well as in the military sector. Neurable allows using biometrics and data to help people understand how they react in certain environments, and comes up with insights on how to mitigate any problems they may have down the road.

Evolution of Neurable's technology

What About the Headphones?

Throughout its years of research and development, Neurable has been able to reduce the number and size of sensors they need to track brain function. Therefore, they are now coming out with a new product for consumers: Enten, Neurable's smart headphones.

The company's Enten headphones, equipped with EEG sensors, allow users to keep track of their focus throughout the day. Its technology provides data such as the average time focused or peak focus times, to provide insights on when a user may be most optimized for work and to prevent burnout. It allows to track the impact of activities such as morning jogs or coffees on focus throughout the day, and provides actionable recommendations.

Neurable's product, Enten

Apart from its unique neurological features, Enten headphones come with automatic playlist matching based on the user's focus level. They also include gesture controls for actions such as muting calls or skipping to the next song. Of course, Neurable also recruited a sound engineer, to ensure a crisp sound quality comparable to that of Bose, with active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.1, and high-level microphone. The headphones’ battery lasts 24 hours.

While still in the prototype phase, Neurable will roll out its product soon. You can currently preorder them for a price of 212 EUR. Not bad when compared to best-in-class headphones!

Well-Balanced Team

Neurable comprises three primary pillars, each filled by a core team member. CEO and co-founder, Dr. Ramses, is an electrical engineer and neuroscientist (PhD) with a decade of experience in the BCI space, developing solutions for people with cerebral palsy and sclerosis. On the business side, his co-founder, Adam Moler, worked with leading brands bringing BCI space for leading brands. Lastly, to ensure sound quality, the team includes Jamie Alberts, with 12 years of experience at Bose.

Who Else Works in the Space?

Brain computer interfaces gained enormous attention, with continuouslty improving sensor accuracy and signal quality. The market for the technology is valued at 1.5B USD, expected to grow 14% annually, reaching 5.5B USD by 2030.

However, BCI development is not easy. Neurable has done it exceptionally well, combining phenomental resaerch with elegant user design. It is the first time that the technology has been used in a beautiful way, and is ble to touch consumers beyond scientific circles.

With Neurable's groundbreaking solutions, the possibilities for enhanced human-computer interactions are endless. From gaming and entertainment to healthcare and education, Neurable's technology has the potential to revolutionize various industries and improve the quality of life for individuals around the world. We intend to keep a close eye on their newest advancements, and a blog post reviewing them will follow.