Startup bets on wearables based on neurotechnology

A new start-up is betting on neurotechnology as the next innovation for wearable devices. Founded at the beginning of February by a group of scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs, Elemind presented an unprecedented wearable neurotechnology platform that uses proprietary algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve mental health through non-invasive stimulation of brain waves, without the side effects of pharmaceutical products. Disordered neural oscillations are associated with numerous brain disorders that impact people’s daily lives and health conditions.

Based in Cambridge (USA), Elemind has already received an initial round of $12 million to improve its first product before launching it in the coming months. The company’s founders are associated with research institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Imperial College London, Harvard Medical School and the University of California. The team has already published studies proving the effectiveness of the science and technology behind their product in renowned peer-reviewed publications, including Nature Communications.

Elemind’s wearable neurotechnology will read individual brainwaves and guide them in real time with personalised stimulation. This kind of precise guidance will change the behaviour of brain waves in a more intelligent, targeted and natural way than the pharmaceutical products used today. It’s what Elemind calls a drug-free, personalised and adaptive “electrical medicine” approach that adjusts stimulation based on the body’s response until the desired state is achieved.

According to Elemind, clinical trials have shown that the proposed technological solution was effective, for example, in inducing sleep, being 74 per cent faster and suppressing essential tremor after just 30 seconds of stimulation and, as an added bonus, improving memory. Tests have also shown that Elemind’s system is effective in increasing pain tolerance and improving sedation; this study is currently under peer review. Elemind claims that there are potential positive impacts on many other neurological conditions.

“Chemical medicines generally affect the entire body, often generating unwanted side effects. Elemind offers a chemical-free, direct and on-demand solution that dynamically learns and adjusts to each person. We are the first and only company capable of precisely guiding and redirecting brainwaves in real time,” says Meredith Perry, CEO and co-founder of Elemind.

The Elemind team has been carrying out research and developing its technology since 2019 and currently holds three patents covering its main signal processing algorithms and dynamic neurostimulation techniques.

“A new transformative era driven by neurotechnology is approaching, and Elemind is at the forefront of this movement. We’ve innovated with an algorithm that allows instant neuromodulation. Every brain is unique and constantly changing, so we use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning to optimise stimulation parameters and achieve the desired state as quickly as possible,” explains Dr David Wang, director and co-founder of Elemind.

In the executive’s words, we can think of it as noise cancellation for the mind. Elemind’s technology uses phase blocking of auditory stimuli to precisely align with the patient’s brainwaves and direct them to a frequency associated with a different state. In short, Elemind uses sounds to block brain waves that, for example, can disturb sleep or make a person feel acute pain.

In an interview with VentureBeat, Perry explains that Elemind’s device is full of biosensors that continuously read and monitor what is happening inside the human body. In the future, it will be possible to use them in conjunction with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to diagnose and detect other health problems as they occur and even predict them. They could also be used in real time to check whether a treatment is working as planned.

“We call it a kind of ‘tailoring’ with AI resources applied to health that can be applied to any kind of neurological problem. And we can learn over time what kind of stimulation protocol will lead to the best result for each individual and help solve a number of different issues,” says Perry.

Elemind’s first product will be a device for general wellbeing and will not be subject to FDA regulation in the United States.