Neurable launches $499 brain-scanning headphones to boost focus and reduce burnout

Neurable unveiled its first in-house hardware, the Neurable One, a $499 pair of headphones that embed 12 EEG sensors in the earpads to read users' brain waves. The companion app tracks eight metrics—such as Brain Age, Battery, Speed, Focus, Load, Stress, Sleepiness and Alpha Peak Frequency—and offers prompts like a short ping when attention drifts or a suggestion to rest when fatigue is detected. Unlike earlier models, the headset begins monitoring automatically when worn, similar to a Fitbit, and can also be used as regular headphones by disabling the sensors.

Audio performance includes 40-mm beryllium drivers, active noise cancellation, transparency mode and up to 22 hours of battery life (12 hours with EEG active). Neurable points to earlier Mayo Clinic research indicating a 30 percent increase in focus and a 10 percent reduction in end-of-day burnout, but has not yet released new study results. The company says the data remain private, are not used for advertising, and that enterprise buyers purchase the units to boost employee productivity rather than to monitor staff.