Introduction to Elemind
Do you ever find yourself lying awake in bed, wishing you could just switch off your brain and fall asleep? This might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s the goal of a startup called Elemind. They’re working on a device that uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) headband to emit acoustic stimulation that’s in sync with your brainwaves, helping you fall asleep faster.
How it Works
In a small study, adults with sleep onset insomnia used the device for 30 minutes and were able to fall asleep 10 to 15 minutes faster. This summer, Elemind started shipping their product to a small group of users as part of an early pilot program. The company was founded by a team of experts, including MIT Professor Ed Boyden, and they believe their device has several advantages over sleeping pills, which can have side effects and be addictive.
The Benefits of a Nonchemical Option
The team at Elemind wanted to create a nonchemical option for people who want to get good sleep without the risks. Their CEO, Meredith Perry, says, "We wanted to create a nonchemical option for people who wanted to get great sleep without side effects, so you could get all the benefits of natural sleep without the risks." This device could be helpful for people like breastfeeding moms who don’t want to take sleep drugs, travelers who want to fight jet lag, or anyone who wants to improve their performance and feel more in control of their sleep.
From Research to Product
One of the founders, David Wang, spent nearly 15 years at MIT, earning four degrees and culminating in a PhD in artificial intelligence. In 2014, Wang was co-teaching a class with Nir Grossman when they started working together to measure real-time biological oscillations in the brain and body. They became fascinated with a technique called phase-locked stimulation, which uses precisely timed visual, physical, or auditory stimulation that lines up with brain activity.
Phase-Locked Stimulation
Phase-locked stimulation has been used for years to disrupt seizures and tremors in people with electrodes implanted in their brains. But in 2021, Wang, Grossman, and their collaborators published a paper showing that they could use electrical stimulation from outside the skull to suppress essential tremor syndrome. They decided to start by proving their approach worked in a less regulated space: sleep. They developed a system to deliver auditory pulses timed to promote or suppress alpha oscillations in the brain, which are elevated in insomnia.
The Headband Device
The headband device measures brainwaves through EEG and feeds the results into Elemind’s proprietary algorithms, which are used to dynamically generate audio through a bone conduction driver. The moment the device detects that someone is asleep, the audio is slowly tapered out. Wang says, "We have a theory that the sound that we play triggers an auditory-evoked response in the brain. That means we get your auditory cortex to basically release this voltage burst that sweeps across your brain and interferes with other regions."
Beyond Sleep
Elemind has collaborated with eight universities to explore the effectiveness of their approach in a range of use cases, from tremors to memory formation, Alzheimer’s progression, and more. Wang says, "We’re not only developing this product, but also advancing the field of neuroscience by collecting high-resolution data to hopefully also help others conduct new research." The collaborations have led to some exciting results, including improved performance in memory tasks and reduced essential tremors in patients.
Future Plans
Elemind is currently focused on its sleep application, but the company plans to develop other solutions, from medical interventions to memory and focus augmentation, as the science evolves. Perry says, "The vision is how do we move beyond sleep into what could ultimately become like an app store for the brain, where you can download a brain state like you download an app?" The goal is to make this a tool that can be applied to a bunch of different applications with a single piece of hardware that has a lot of different stimulation protocols.
Conclusion
The team at Elemind is working on a revolutionary device that could change the way we sleep and interact with our brains. With its nonchemical approach and potential to help with a range of conditions, this device could be a game-changer for people who struggle with sleep and other neurological issues. As the company continues to develop and refine its product, it will be exciting to see the impact it has on the world of neuroscience and beyond.
