Apple’s $1.6–2B Q.ai acquisition centers on silent speech. Its patents extend to facial micromovement sensing and physiological proxies, raising neuro-adjacent questions.

Neurotech is moving into elite sport through league pilots, concussion workflows, and selective EEG and neuromodulation tools. Adoption concentrates where use cases are operationally clear.

Samsung’s recent moves suggest a deliberate expansion from sleep and wellness into cognitive health. The open question is how far consumer wearables can push neuro-adjacent tracking without becoming medical devices.

Neurable has momentum, with new consumer EEG products, a $35m Series A, and a CES gaming prototype. The key question is whether EEG headphones can become a lasting daily habit rather than a novelty.

CES 2026 showed consumer neurotech moving into the mainstream, from ear-worn EEG and sleep neurotechnology to brain-health features built on behavioral and nervous system proxies.

Apple has patented EEG-sensing AirPods that could track brain and body signals, but technical, UX, and regulatory hurdles mean startups are likely to prove the category before Apple brings it mainstream.

NextSense has raised a $16M Series A to commercialize in-ear EEG Smartbuds, bringing direct brain-based sleep tracking and adaptive audio into a familiar consumer earbud form factor.

Mendi has built a consumer brain-training headband using fNIRS, grounding neurofeedback in peer-reviewed research while turning cognitive training into a daily, gamified habit.

Nike’s new Mind shoes apply sensory stimulation through the foot to influence focus, signaling a major consumer brand’s entry into neuro-influenced product design.

Connectome Health is bringing research-grade brain imaging into consumer settings, offering short cortical scans to establish cognitive baselines and support a shift toward preventative brain health.

Neural interfaces are moving from labs into consumer devices. With a wrist-worn EMG band, Meta is testing whether neural intent can become a practical input layer for everyday digital interaction.

A former touring DJ is translating years of experience shaping mental states through sound into a new kind of neurotechnology, exploring how audio and visuals might support focus, calm, and cognitive resilience.

Most wearables infer how we feel from the body. A new class of consumer neurotechnology instead measures the brain directly, offering a window into attention, fatigue, and cognitive load during everyday work.