Author: Dr Tess Skyrme, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx
Wearable technology has long been an enabler of the ‘quantified self’ movement. Fitness trackers and smart watches now offer users a wealth of continuous data streams, from step-count to heart rate, calories burned to blood oxygen. As smart-watch popularity has grown, demand has intensified to utilize these wearables as healthcare tools. They can now be integrated within remote patient monitoring schemes and virtual wards or utilized for decentralized clinical trials.
In the consumer market, on the other hand, the rate of new healthcare features released has slowed. Or if new features are added, they typically use established motion and optical sensing capabilities with new software. However, new hardware solutions are continuing to emerge for wearable brain computer interfaces. In this article, IDTechEx will overview some of the technology innovations and companies, covered in the report “Brain Computer Interfaces 2025-2045: Technologies, Players, Forecasts”, driving this sector forward and perhaps ushering in a new era of ‘quantified self-awareness’.
The limitations of wet-electrodes to the lab
Neuroscience research has long depended on a wearable solution to neural interfacing. Implanted solutions receive a lot of hype these days, think Neuralink, but specialist non-invasive caps covered in electrodes have been available for decades.
Placing sensors in close proximity to the brain to measure neural signals on the move fundamentally requires some form of wearable solution. Until relatively recently, however, there were few brain computer interfacing wearables suitable for the consumer market.
A major barrier to adoption of technology such as electroencephalography (EEG) outside of a lab was the dependence on conductive gels. These wet products were used to improve the conductance between the scalp and the sensor – essential in gathering high enough quality data to interpret.
Dry electrode and magnetic field sensor solutions for consumer EEG
Yet, in recent years, a variety of dry electrode solutions have been developed to overcome this challenge. Initially, coated plastics or metal became available, followed by more comfortable alternatives using coated rubbers or conductive polymers and patches. This includes the ‘Soft-Pulse’ solution from Datwyler and the ‘Dryode’ material from IDUN Technologies.
Electrical activity isn’t the only method of monitoring the brain of interest for consumer products, magnetic fields are also under research. Magnetic field sensors are, in fact, at the heart of many medical-grade scanners (such as MRI and MEG – magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography). New quantum sensors can measure the magnetic fields associated with brain activity but without the need for super-cooling, meaning they can be placed close to the skin and integrated into wearables.
Vapor cell-based optically pumped magnetomers are already being used by players such as Cerca Magnetics for wearable MEG solutions. Yet there are also diamond platforms in development, even smaller and higher resolution applications – which could include consumer brain computer interfacing. It is certainly an application of interest for players such as Bosch’s Quantum Sensing team and UK-based RobQuant.
Summary and outlook for wearable EEG in BCI applications, Source: IDTechEx
Better edge compute can help unlock the wider marker for neural interfacing
Another crucial component unlocking consumer BCI is data processing and improved edge compute. The ability to more efficiently deploy solutions for data processing and analysis of noisy, non-invasive data streams is perhaps game-changing. For example, specialists in this space, Neuro Fusion, have developed advanced suites of tools that can be used to monitor not only daily routines of physiological health markers using wearables but also brain performance.
Focus and productivity solutions for today’s consumer
The vision for wearable neural interfacing is to provide consumers with new avenues to achieve personal goals in health, wellness, and productivity – and ultimately be an extension of the devices on offer within the market for ‘quantified self’ solutions.
There is already a range of products available for consumers looking to become early adopters of neurotech. There are over-ear headphones from Neurable that utilize EEG to measure focus and provide feedback on mental load in order to help users manage burnout. The product is also marketed as a tool to minimize distractions and optimize productivity. This is a similar use-case to Neurosity, but who instead uses a ‘crown’ like form factor as opposed to a hearable.
One novel use of the hearable form factor is to use brain data as feedback to audio/music and personalize audio experiences in response to mental state. This is the approach by Enophone – who ultimately have a similar goal to their competitors as to optimizing mental wellness.
Human-machine interfacing tools for the next generation of digital interactions
For some, though, the long-term value of a wearable BCI is in utilizing it for human-machine interfacing. Today’s solutions predominantly depend on our hands (keyboards, mice, touchscreens, and so on). As well as being exclusionary from an accessibility perspective, there is also potential that they could become obsolete as the nature of our digital interactions evolves.
In the future, consumers may depend less on smartphones and laptops and more on smart glasses, virtual reality, and maybe even the meta-verse. The development of extended reality eyewear is attributed to the demand for more immersive consumer experiences.
For some, more immersion will also need novel interfaces. As such, is it possible wearables could become an increasingly important alternative? This is already evidenced by Meta’s ongoing pitch to use a smart wrist band for gesture control. But BCIs could play their part too, with pioneers such as Wisear and OpenBCI highlighting the device control capabilities on offer with their respective earphone and virtual reality headset products.
Market outlook
Clearly, the fate of the brain computer interface market is intertwined with trends in the wearables market. This is particularly true in the medium term, whereby more advanced implantable solutions remain at a relatively low commercial readiness level.
Overall, the ongoing interest in collecting personal data is sure to see a sub-sector for ‘quantified self-awareness’ hearables and headsets grow. However, it is also possible that the historic kingmakers of consumer wearable sensing (e.g., Apple and Samsung) continue to dictate the adoption trends in the mass market. Yet, with the smartphone ecosystem potentially under threat of disruption from extended reality glasses and headsets, the potential of wearables to streamline human-machine interfacing could become a more important driver for brain computer interface market growth in the long term.
IDTechEx’s latest brain computer interface market report analyses the major technologies, players, applications, and challenges. This includes coverage across non-invasive and invasive technologies, comparisons across key technical benchmarks, and market forecasts from 2025 to 2045. There is also detailed coverage of supply chain innovations impacting this market, including coverage of wearable sensors markets such as dry-electrodes, photo-detectors, and magnetic field sensors, including technologies from the quantum sensors market.
To find out more about “Brain Computer Interfaces 2025-2045: Technologies, Players, Forecasts”, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/BCI.
For the full portfolio of market research available from IDTechEx, please see www.IDTechEx.com.
