Meditation can help combat stress and anxiety, but achieving both a clear mind and relaxed breathing can be difficult. A new wearable technology helps quiet the mind and draw focus away from those pesky thoughts.
The Muse, a brain sensing headband, is a brain fitness tool that helps to calm and settle the mind. The sleek, lightweight device gently wraps around a person's forehead and has seven sensors designed to detect and measure brain activity.
The company InteraXon created the device that connects to an app called Calm, available through Android or iOS. The device costs $299 and started as an Indiegogo campaign, according to Mashable.
The emotional benefits of meditation include better management of stress, staying focused and reducing negative emotions, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can also help manage symptoms of conditions, such as anxiety disorders, asthma, cancer, depression and more.
The headband captures the brain's activity through electroencephalography (EEG) sensors located along the surface of the scalp. Bluetooth technology then translates the activity to the app and gives users a real-time audiovisual experience of how their brain performed during a three-minute session.
The process begins by calibrating the brain's activity when the sensors sync with the app. The brain's electrical signals are so weak, a simple jaw clench or muscle spasm can throw off the sensors.
A calm voice then asks users to think of three categories of objects, like fruits or musical instruments. The category doesn't matter as it's just a device to light up the brain's frontal lobes, InteraXon told Mashable.
After it captures those readings, the app begins the three-minute meditation session. When a person reaches a state of calm, he or she will hear the sounds of breaking waves. If his or her thoughts begin to stray, a gust of wind will blow to move the reader back to that quiet mind. A real quieted mind can hear the sounds of birds.
More than one person can use the headband, and the device will support up to five smartphones and tablets. Users earn points during their session depending on how well they remained calm or neutral. A total of 5,000 points will unlock other features of the Muse.
