Meet The Aware Biometric Brain Sensing Headphone

The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone will be the first of its kind, if these earbuds reach their Kickstarter goal by May 30th.

The Aware Biometric Brain Sensing Headphone

The Aware is a custom-fit Bluetooth earbud with embedded biometric sensors. The sensors measure a slew of data and vitals on your body, like no other device. After work, working out, or even sleeping your headphones will deliver stats on your brainwaves (alpha, beta, delta), heart rate, steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and more to your smart device.

The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone acts as an EEG (electroencephalogram) – reading your brainwaves and then spelling out exactly when you are stressed, relaxed, focused, and having trouble sleeping. The developers at United Sciences hope this enhanced awareness may help users increase focus, lower stress levels, understand their sleep patterns, and help guide them to be more mindful.

But how can the aforementioned be achieved with a bite-size headphone?

The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone was designed using eFit’s 3D scanner. The technology was created by Karol Hatzilias who was running a 3D scanning company when he was awarded a grant by the United States Navy to develop 3D scanning technology that would improve hearing protection. As a result, he invented a way to scan small holes with a ring laser and translate that scan into a 3D model in real time.

The eFit 3D scanner is the only scanner in the world that precisely captures the minute and unique differences in each ear with a ring laser that obtains an accuracy of less than 1/10th a millimeter. Because of the perfect fit, these custom biosensors are able to achieve complete, consistent contact with the surface of the ear, enabling them to reliably capture biometric and brain wave data. Moreover, The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone was constructed to customize the position, length, and even angle of the speaker for the best performance, in addition to optimal passive sound isolation.

So far so good, but how does The Aware sound?

United Sciences promise the earbuds will deliver superior sound assisted by their balanced armature drivers at an optimized frequency response. Unfortunately, the exact frequency response range and  size of the drivers are unbeknownst to us at this time.

For those who are active, The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone allows users to listen to music while still tuning into their surroundings. The buds create a 3D ambient environment so you can hear if someone or something is approaching from a particular side.

Aiming to really take your workout to the next level, the earbuds audibly notify you when you’ve lost focus. The same feature can be used while studying.

The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone will be available at three different product levels – each level offering different features at the following price tags: $99, $249, and $500.

Hardware  

• Audio SoC with Bluetooth 4.1, aptX, and 24-bit high resolution audio support with a 120 MHz DSP
• 4 channel 24-bit biopotential analog front end (TI ADS1294)
• 16 GB internal storage for biosignal logging and music
• 3.7V 220 mAh lithium polymer battery
• Glossy black 3D-printed (UV DLP) acrylic
• Wired auxiliary audio support

Sensors & Transducers

• 9-axis IMU: an accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass with integrated digital motion processor
• 6 low impedance biopotential electrodes
• Red/infrared/green high sensitivity pulse ox sensor
• Multiple ambient digital microphones per side
• In-ear bone conduction digital microphone per side
• Wideband high fidelity acoustic transducer

United Sciences still need to reach their Kickstarter goal of $100,000 by the end of May to get The Aware biometric brain sensing headphone on the market.

Crowdfunding Disclaimer: If you’re investing in a prototype hosted on a crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, be wary. Not all projects hosted by crowdfunding platforms come to fruition. Before making a purchase you should read the FAQs of the hosting platform as well as our article on the risks associated with investing in a crowdfunding projects.