The upcoming headgear you wear might have the ability to scan your brain. Neurable, a company based in Boston that incorporates its noninvasive brain-scanning technology into hardware to track an individual’s concentration levels, revealed on Tuesday its shift towards a licensing platform model. By certifying third parties, Neurable anticipates that its technology will be integrated into a plethora of consumer gadgets within this year and the next.

Up until now, Neurable has concentrated on a set of consumer-friendly headphones developed in collaboration with the audio brand Master & Dynamic. They are also engaged with the US Department of Defense to explore how their technology can monitor blast overpressure and potentially assist in diagnosing mild traumatic brain injuries in soldiers. Through the licensing model, we may witness a greater presence of Neurable’s technology in everyday head-worn devices.

These headphones utilize integrated electroencephalography (EEG) sensors to track brain activity. This data is transmitted to a companion application which notifies users when they require a “brain break,” encouraging them to take a pause before feeling overwhelmed to enhance productivity. The application also enables users to determine their cognitive readiness for the day, their brain’s age, and other metrics like mental recovery, cognitive strain, and anxiety resilience. In 2024, WIRED staff writer Emily Mullin tested the original headphones but struggled to verify the accuracy of Neurable’s algorithms.

Now, HyperX, a gaming brand owned by HP, is launching a gaming headset featuring Neurable’s technology aimed at enhancing human performance during esports gaming. The headphones are said to aid users in achieving an optimal mental state for peak performance. Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO of Neurable, informed WIRED that the company has published a white paper demonstrating improved performance among gamers utilizing Neurable’s technology, resulting in reduced response times in first-person shooter games and a slight increase in accuracy.

While these enhancements may seem minor, milliseconds are crucial in the high-speed realm of esports gaming. Alcaide suggests that similar benefits could be observed across other domains: students might reduce exam-related anxiety while athletes could prepare their nerves before competitions. Neurable is adaptable with various hardware types; Alcaide mentions it can be integrated into headphones, smart glasses, hats, or helmets. “There’s an entire array of head-touching technologies waiting to be infused with our platform,” he remarks.

He compares it to when Fitbit popularized the concept of wrist-worn heart-rate monitors. Initially met with uncertainty, wrist fitness trackers are now commonplace. Similarly, the vision is for brain-scanning technology in headphones to become just as accepted without hesitation. Neurable’s technology is discreetly integrated into such gadgets.

According to Alcaide, companies licensing Neurable’s technology can embed it into existing hardware and oversee the complete experience from product design to software interaction; these products will be marketed as “Powered by Neurable AI.” While user data still funnels back to Neurable’s servers for processing, the company manages data privacy safeguards. User identifiers are segregated from the data stream, and although partner companies manage user interfaces, Neurable retains control over the foundational system and data management. Neurable has previously emphasized that their business model does not involve selling user data.

Alcaide states: “Any introduction of new technology always triggers some level of apprehension…