Waterloo startup develops smart glasses that act as brain fitness tracker
It’s often said the eyes are the window to the soul, but for a Waterloo-based startup, the eyes are the window to your brain.
Adhawk Microsystems, has developed MindLink Air, a personal fitness tracker for the brain. The smart glasses are meant for everyday wear and track virtual eye movement to better understand brain health.
“We can measure how hard you're thinking, how focused you are and how easily you're distracted,” said Neil Sarkar, AdHawk CEO.
The smart glasses are camera-free, weigh less than 40 grams and the custom sensor that powers the technology is hidden inside the frame.
“We use it to scan a beam of light across your eye thousands of times per second and then capture reflections from it to model all kinds of things about your eyes,” Sarkar explained.
The MindLink Air glasses monitor indicators such as blink frequency, blink speed, and pupil dilation. These subtle cues provide users with real-time insights into their eye strain, focus levels, and mental fatigue, allowing for proactive adjustments to their daily routines.
“When you’ve got a headache or your eyes hurt, at that point it's probably too late,” said Adhawk user experience lead, Matthew Reynolds, emphasizing the preventive aspect.
Beyond enhancing personal wellness, Adhawk envisions MindLink Air contributing significantly to medical research and treatment.
“For the elderly who are at risk of cognitive decline, this is the first time that you're going to have a piece of hardware that's able to measure your cognitive function over the course of days, months and years,” said Sarkar.
Looking ahead, Adhawk plans to develop a version of MindLink Air tailored for children. Prototypes of the glasses have already been sold to researchers for $10,000, with a $300 starting price point set for the public through Adhawk's upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
“We’re finally at the point where our technology is mature and is ready to be deployed at scale. We've developed a semi-conductor supply chain that can produce about 10,000 of our devices on a single wafer,” said Adhawk CFO, Sandro Banerjee.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.