New Wearable Tech Uses AI to Improve Concentration

A new AI-powered brain stimulation system helps people improve concentration from home, adapting to individual traits without requiring expensive clinical equipment.

A team of researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford has collaborated with Cognitive Neurotechnology to create a brain stimulation system powered by AI that effectively boosts attention from the comfort of one’s home.

This innovative system merges AI with an invasive technique known as transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), providing a customized approach to enhancing cognitive focus without needing expensive medical equipment like MRI scans.

The AI system adapts to each user by adjusting stimulation intensity based on traits like head size and baseline attention.

“Our modern world constantly competes for our attention. What is exciting about this work is that we have shown it is possible to safely and effectively enhance cognitive performance using a personalised system that people can use independently at home,” said Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh, Head of Psychology at the University of Surrey and lead author of the study, in an interview with Neuroscience News.

“This opens new possibilities for improving sustained attention, learning, and other cognitive abilities in a way that is accessible, adaptive, and scalable.”

Published in npj Digital Medicine, the study used CE-marked wearable headgear and a tablet-based task in 290 home-based sessions with 103 participants. A follow-up double-blind study with 37 new participants showed that those receiving personalised stimulation performed significantly better, especially those with low initial attention.

The AI also avoided over-stimulation, which can impair performance, and no serious side effects were reported.

Researchers explained that sustained attention is crucial for activities such as driving or studying. They explain in their paper that it is associated with conditions like ADHD and depression. The conventional techniques of brain stimulation often fall short due to their nature.

However, this new approach, utilizing an AI algorithm that evolves with time, offers hope for cognitive improvement in real-life scenarios.