Elemind headband: status and timeline

Elemind headband

Help people with trouble falling asleep without pills, by reading the brain's own rhythm and nudging it toward sleep in real time; later, to deepen sleep and support memory.

DeployStage 4 of 5

On sale since 2024 at $349; deep-sleep and memory features still in research

Updated 25 Sep 2024Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Delta-wave algorithm to enhance deep sleep

Headband launched, beta preorders at $3494 Jun 2024Complete.
First units ship to pilot users2024Complete.
Delta-wave algorithm to enhance deep sleepNot yet reached.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Company-run evidenceThe 76%/48% figures come from a company-linked trial (NCT05743114); independent, larger studies have not been published.

Physics limits

Scalp EEG is faint and smearedBrain signals reach the scalp at microvolt levels, blurred by the skull and mixed with muscle and movement noise, so phase estimates are imperfect and timing errors weaken the effect.
Sound reaches the brain indirectlyAudio acts through the hearing pathway, not on the target rhythm directly, so how strongly it can steer brain rhythms varies from person to person.

How it works

3 parts

Read

EEG picks out the alpha rhythm

EEG sensors in the band record brain activity; a filter isolates the 8-12 Hz alpha rhythm that dominates when we are relaxed but awake.

Predict

Estimate the phase in real time

An algorithm tracks where each alpha wave is in its cycle, correcting for the delay between a sound and the brain's response, measured in 21 people.

Act

Pink noise at the alpha trough

Bursts of pink noise through bone conduction land at the wave's trough, working against the rhythm so slower theta waves of light sleep can take over.

Spec sheet

Spec	Elemind headband
Price	$349 (+ optional $7-13/month)^R (reported)
Targeted rhythm	Alpha, 8-12 Hz^R (reported)
Fell asleep faster (trial)	76% of subjects^R (reported)
Time-to-sleep cut (responders)	48% on average^R (reported)
Stimulation length	About 30 min, fades when asleep^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Wed 25 Sep 2024

Minor: MIT spinout Elemind ships first sleep headbands to pilot usersPressCommercial

Tue 4 Jun 2024

Major: Elemind unveils a $349 headband that suppresses alpha brainwaves with timed sound to help users fall asleepPressHardware

About Elemind

The team behind Elemind headband

Elemind

Closed-loop sleep headband, alpha-wave stimulation

Elemind is a Cambridge, Massachusetts startup co-founded by MIT scientists including Ed Boyden. Its headband reads brainwaves and plays sound timed to them, damping the alpha rhythm that keeps people awake.

Launched a $349 headband in June 2024; in a trial 76% of users fell asleep faster, by 48% on average among them.
Raised $12M; 13 staff at launch; research collaborations with eight universities.
Unlike EEG headbands that only track, it acts on the brain in real time (closed-loop stimulation).

Company profile →

Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $12M1 round
Last round: Seed · $12M2024
Works in: NeurotechBrain-sensing wearables
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 25 Sep 2024checked 11 Oct
Partners: McGill UniversityLeuven Brain Institute
People: Meredith Perry (opens news.mit.edu)Co-founder and CEOEd Boyden (opens news.mit.edu)Co-founder; MIT professorDavid Wang (opens news.mit.edu)Co-founderNir Grossman (opens news.mit.edu)Co-founder

Spec

Elemind headband

Price

$349 (+ optional $7-13/month)^R (reported)

Targeted rhythm

Alpha, 8-12 Hz^R (reported)

Fell asleep faster (trial)

76% of subjects^R (reported)

Time-to-sleep cut (responders)

48% on average^R (reported)

Stimulation length

About 30 min, fades when asleep^R (reported)