Headphones to Keep Your Head in the Game

We have all experienced the feeling of being “in the zone” — that sense of exceptional focus and energy that leads to peak performance. Unfortunately, that feeling is often hard to come by, and we have to push through our daily tasks in a state of distractedness and wandering thoughts. What might we be able to accomplish if we could learn to dial in our focus more frequently?

Neurable is offering a device that is intended to help us do just that with their smart headphones currently available on Indiegogo. Named Enten, these headphones measure brain waves with a set of 16 EEG sensors woven into the ear cushions. A proprietary algorithm analyzes these signals and determines how focused you are at any given time.

The physiological data captured by Enten can be correlated with other activities. For example, how does a morning coffee impact your focus? How about your choice of music? What time of day is optimal for best mental focus? These associations can provide actionable insights to help you work more efficiently. The provided Enten app can assist you in discovering these associations.

Enten will also take some proactive steps to help you maintain focus. When you are at peak focus, the headphones can automatically silence distracting phone notifications, turn on a noise cancellation feature, and optionally, illuminate a “do not disturb” light that will let others know that you are focused and would not like to be disturbed.

For those times when you do need to take a call, or otherwise need to interact with another device, Enten can pick up subtle gestures like winks or nods to give you hands-free control.

The headphones are wireless and can operate over twelve hours on a single charge, so for anyone accustomed to wearing headphones while working, it should be a simple addition to a normal daily routine.

It remains to be seen how Enten will benefit people in the real world. Will the insights it provides really lead us to being more focused, or are the factors leading to a focused state of mind much more complex than can be determined by EEG sensors and correlations with time and music? It is also uncertain how these headphones will be received by users. Imagine if you were given a pair of company-issued headphones that light up to tell your employer when you are sufficiently focused. In any case, it will be interesting to hear the initial reports when these headphones start shipping. Being able to dial in mental focus more frequently would make for a very exciting product.