B-Bridge International proudly unveils the first brainwave athletic trainer. Powered by NeuroSky, the leader in mass-market Brain-Computer Interface technology, the BrainAthlete system is the first sports training unit available for general consumers to track an athlete’s level of concentration, helping them find their “zone.” Engineered into a standard golf visor, three non-invasive contact points in the headband monitor the EEG electrical activity from the brain to determine the athlete’s mental states.
The BrainAthlete visor will allow athletes and trainers to track concentration levels during a workout activity, such as a golf swing, and analyze the performance in real time or after the completion of the training session. “We have found that there is a lot of interest in how this device can help athletes more easily ‘get into the zone,’” states Hiro Masumoto, president and CEO of B-Bridge International.
“For the past five years, we have focused on research of mental sports performance. We are pleased to finally have a product that will be available to the public and specifically for peak sports training,” states NeuroSky CEO, Stanley Yang.
NeuroSky has been working with the USA Olympic Archery team for over four years, but the concept of “mental training” goes back much further. “When it comes to expert level players or athletes, the difference between win or lose, gold or silver is often the athlete’s mind”, says Dr. Lee, NeuroSky’s CTO and one of the company founders.
The potential of this technology and device to help other athletes – amateur or professional level – is huge. According to the National Golf Foundation, there are 28.8 million American golfers. Acknowledged as a mental game by many, golf is the ideal sport to introduce the neuro-feedback technology because it can help golfers improve on their skills.
As a professor of psychology at Arizona State University, Dr. Debra Crews has been studying golfers’ brainwaves for a decade. She sees a correlation between mental state and performance accuracy. Her challenge has been the lack of portability in bringing medical EEG to the golf course. “EEG will be a factor in golf coaching and other sports where mental acuity influences outcomes.” Dr. Crews would historically record EEG data and return to her office on campus later to conduct analysis.
The product began shipping in Japan on December 1. It will be available in the US in the first quarter of 2011 at a price to be determined.
Technical Specifications:
Expected Price: 40,000 Japanese yen
Bluetooth Ver.1.2
Operation range: Max.10m`
Operation time: Max 2 hours
Weight: 100g
Currently available on Windows (Mac and mobile versions will be launched next year)