What's going on in your brain right now? There is no need to follow the old philosophy of knowing everything about your brain just thinking that modern consumers can level up to amateur neuroscientists and know everything about their brain with the next gadget – Aware. With its wireless functionality, this gadget will send all the messages reading the electrical activity of the user's brain directly to their smartphones.
Introduced via Kickstar, Aware uses tiny, discreet headphones to record electroencephalography (EEG) data that will be sent to a smartphone so users can stay aware of the ongoing vibrations in their brainwaves. To use this gadget, users need to connect their headphones via a wire, but communication with the phone is only possible via Bluetooth.
The EEG recording process is a bit complicated and clinical systems employ almost 256 electrodes glued to the face and scalp to obtain the best possible information about electrical activities originating in the brain. According to the Aware manufacturers, it is possible to use a good amount of data with just six electrodes. Two electrodes are for each channel for recording brain waves and one for a location outside each ear canal for the reference signal.
The best part is that Aware can also track your heart rate, number of calories burned, and steps. Additionally, it can also be used as a phone with its earbuds built with 3D printed anatomy that ensures they will never fall out. But if a record of previous Kickstar projects is kept, despite making big promises, the projects always fail to deliver. Therefore, it will not be correct to make any judgments until November, when the first shipment of these headphones is scheduled.
Aware's companion app classifies natural brainwave data and makes use of graphical displays to show users' changing level of relaxation and stress in real time. For example, the user, during meditation, can see a bright spot and make it travel towards the relaxation goal by the principle of biofeedback. According to the product's presenter, it can be a great way to keep track of how relaxed a person is. The headphones also assess users' stress level by looking at beta waves. To relax, they will primarily look for lower frequency alpha waves. There is also a sleep study function on the gadget that allows it to collect data on the user's movements and brain waves to identify the phases of restorative sleep and dreams.
Hatzilias, chief scientific officer at United Sciences, the company behind this product, emphasizes that Aware is currently just a consumer device and not a medical unit. But it intends to work with scientists to develop medical applications.
Conclusion – Because Aware's headphones are discreet and comfortable to wear all day or night, Hatzilias says they could also be useful in studying people with long-term neural disorders. Some possible applications where the product is expected to be useful are ADHD, chronic pain, depression, Alzheimer's and seizures.
