While it may sound like science fiction, earbuds that read brain activity are already on sale. Wearable technology company Neurable claims that its headphones, equipped with electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, can track your fatigue and reduce burnout. At night, NextSense’s Smartbuds pick up the electrical signals of your brain to chart your sleep. By day, the same EEG sensors help schedule demanding tasks for the hours when you are sharpest.
Interest is not just confined to specialist companies. In 2023, Apple filed a patent application for AirPods with electrodes that would measure brain activity. With hundreds of millions of earbuds already in circulation, Apple’s venture into EEG technology would pave the way for truly widespread, mainstream adoption.
