精通“读心术”的可穿戴设备有市场吗？

 作者: Brady Dale

   时间: 2014年02月13日    来源: 财富中文网

 位置： 商业>>科技        

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科学家才刚刚开始管窥大脑工作的奥秘，但多伦多的一家科技公司就已深信，神经细胞是控制电子设备的最好手段。它研发一款设备能精确监控生理和心理的变化，帮助人们更好地管理身心健康。但人们对这类设备的了解程度将决定它在市场上的命运。

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    艾莉尔•加藤从一开始就明白，她想打造的是一款能让人更好地思考的产品。

    加藤是加拿大年轻的科技公司Interaxon的首席执行官，要设法在可穿戴设备中运用大脑控制的接口技术——也就是一种科幻小说般的技术，它能通过脑电波控制电子设备。据未来咨询公司（Futuresource Consulting）称，在谷歌眼镜（Google's Glass）和耐克能量腕带（Nike's FuelBand）的带领下，所谓的可穿戴设备市场预计将从现在的年收入80亿美元增长到2017年的200亿美元。所以用脑电波控制这些设备似乎是明摆着的事儿。

    不过加藤想打造的是更有意义的产品——也就是人们能日常使用的产品，而不是什么神器，也不是什么新奇玩意儿。所以她保持观望，宁可等这个市场发展起来。这家公司全新推出的脑电波控制头带“缪斯”（Muse）售价299美元，将于今年五月开始出货。这款产品今年在消费电子展（Consumer Electronics Show）上首次亮相就大放异彩。而据加藤称，消费者和企业员工援助计划对它的预定十分火爆。这么看来，这家公司放缓进入硬件市场的策略似乎很奏效。

    2009年，加藤和她的两位联合创始人特雷弗•科尔曼和克里斯•阿莫尼在多伦多创办了这家公司。创立后的头三年间，他们一直用基于脑电图描记器（electroencepholagraphy，简称EEG）的技术创造各种体验。无论是当一个人变得更放松时让他坐的椅子浮到空中，还是让参加2010年冬季奥运会的几千名观众有机会改变多伦多的加拿大国家电视塔（CN Tower）、加拿大国会大厦和尼亚加拉大瀑布（Niagara Falls）的灯光，这家公司都已经向用户表明，他们的大脑可以影响世界。

    当时通过贴牌安装公司每年大概能挣100万美元。不过更重要的是，这些努力让几位创始人能深入了解人们与技术开展互动的方式，从而有助于Interaxon更好地理解如何才能将EEG技术用于消费产品。

    加藤回顾了一次有人到他们实验室来做一个用户测试的情景。她说：“那是我们第一次真正测试那个算法，它能显示人什么时候是专心致志的，什么时候是紧张的。当时，受试者一分心，屏幕上就会发出哔哔一响。每次我看见这个，心就会噗通一跳。”她的团队认识到，必须为人们提供的是学会控制自己的方法。

    过去两年来，这个团队基本上停掉了演示和咨询业务，专心研发“缪斯”。这是一台个人EEG设备，能将读数发送到手机或平板电脑上。加藤说：“它主要是教你如何让心灵平静下来。心态平和了，就能做更多事情。”

    “缪斯”的外形和传统头带很像，但它像眼镜一样搁在耳后并就在眉毛上方横跨面部。它有七个用来收集数据的传感器。加藤称，内置的应用有各种活动，它们能让人们的身心在上床休息前平静下来。很快它可能还能帮你发现自己在干活时分心的情况。                      Ariel Garten knew from the start she wanted to make a product that makes people think.

    The chief executive of the young Canadian company Interaxon, Garten sought to use brain-controlled interface technology -- a science fiction-like development that allows a device to be controlled by the brain's electrical activity -- in a wearable device. With Google's Glass and Nike's FuelBand leading the way, so-called wearables are expected to grow from an $8 billion (in annual revenue) market today to a $20 billion one by 2017, according to Futuresource Consulting. Using brainwaves to control them seemed like, well, a no-brainer.

    But Garten wanted to create something meaningful -- something that people would use every day. Not a gadget or novelty. So she watched and waited for the market to develop. Muse, the company's new $299 brainwave-controlled headband, will start shipping in May. With a splashy debut at this year's Consumer Electronics Show and what Garten reports as strong pre-orders from consumers and corporate employee assistance programs, the company's wait to go into hardware appears to be paying off.

    Garten and her two co-founders, Trevor Coleman and Chris Aimone, started their Toronto-based company in 2009 and spent its first three years creating experiences driven by technology based on electroencepholagraphy, or EEG for short. Whether it was a chair that levitated into the air as a person became more relaxed or giving several thousand visitors to the 2010 Olympic Games the chance to change the lighting on Toronto's CN Tower, Canada's Parliament Building and Niagara Falls, the company showed users that their minds could influence the world.

    The company earned roughly a million dollars per year doing branded installations. More importantly, though, the efforts yielded insights into how people interacted with the technology, helping Interaxon better understand how to apply EEG tech to a consumer product.

    Garten described a day when someone came into the lab to do one of their user tests. "It was the first time we had really test-run the algorithm which could tell when you were focused and when you got stressed," she says. "There was a little bleep on the screen every time he got distracted. My heart sort of jumped every time I saw that bleep." Her team realized what they had to offer people was a way to learn to exercise control over themselves.

    For the last two years the team has largely shut down its demonstration and consulting operations to focus on developing Muse, a personal EEG device that sends readings to your phone or tablet. "Basically, [it] teaches you to calm your mind," Garten says. "With a calm mind, you can do more in life."

    Muse is shaped like a conventional headband, but it sits on your ears like eyeglasses and runs across your face, just above the eyebrows. It has seven sensors that collect data. Garten says the included application has activities on it that help to calm and settle the mind, such as before bed. Soon, it might also be helpful for noticing when your mind has wandered during a task.

 加藤表示，她的公司迄今已募集了约750万美元。去年，它计划募资500万美元，最后募得600万美元。演员艾什顿•库彻也是公司的投资者之一。在他的努力下，哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）的情景喜剧《好汉两个半》（ Two and a Half Men）在一集中提到了一个类似Interaxon的公司。他们的另一部分资金来自于众筹网站IndieGogo的一次募资活动。当时，他们计划募集15万美元，最后实际筹得了13.7万美元。

    今年的消费电子展上，人们光是为了试试“缪斯”就得等上一个小时之久。加藤估计，展会上的预订销售将有75%的转化率。她说：“一旦人们试过它，就会想买。”“缪斯”还赢得了公司采购。加藤拒绝透露这方面的具体数字，但表示员工援助计划已预订了这台设备，用来帮助那些在压力、注意力及整体健康上有问题的员工。

    注意力不集中的儿童可能也是一个市场。2003年的相关研究表明，基于EEG技术的训练可以作为治疗注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的零用药疗法。

    不过，之前类似的设备并没有取得成功。Zeo就是一台也能通过获得EEG读数帮助人们获得更好休息的设备。据2010年发布的一份美国证券交易委员会（SEC）的文件称，睡眠产业是一个价值高达320亿美元的行业，而Zeo的股权募资达到了1230万美元，几乎是Interaxon募资额的两倍。不过这家公司最后却倒闭了。它失败的一个原因在于，人们不太理解它。那些对睡眠的监测精度稍逊、同时又能测量其他活动的监控器，比如Fitbit和Jawbone's Up，削弱了Zeo的市场。

    加藤表示，用户教育是Interaxon面临的最大障碍。

    市面上有多种EGG产品，包括那些由NeuroSky, Emotiv和 Mindwave等公司开发的产品。不过加藤深信Interaxon与众不同，因为它做到了垂直整合——甚至连它的算法都是内部开发的。这个算法非常复杂精巧，足以适应各种睡眠模式、情绪和盗汗的情况。

    加藤表示，今后的研究还将拓展功能：“等到我们开始拓展缪斯的功能后，这些应用就会提供给缪斯的使用者。”每根头带都将带有一个软件开发包，可让第三方开发者在此基础上进行深度开发。

    这项技术所创造的各种可能性可能会给专业人士和创意工作者带来更深刻的改变。改善注意力本身可能就足够了，但微软公司（Microsoft）的思维领导力主管凯莉•琼斯最近在《赫芬顿邮报》（Huffington Post）上撰文表示，消费者现在要求“智能启动”的技术——也就是那种知道看电影时电话不应该响、赶完工期软件更新提示才会跳出来的技术。

    换言之，未来的技术应该能读懂人们的心思。Interaxon希望这种说法既是一种比喻，也能成为活生生的现实。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远                      The company has raised about $7.5 million to date, Garten says. It closed a $6 million roundlast year, on an offered $5 million. One of its investors is the actor Ashton Kutcher, who worked references to a company resembling Interaxon into an episode of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Another part of their funding has come from an IndieGogo campaign, where it beat its $150,000 goal by $137,000.

    At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, people waited as long as an hour just to get a chance to try the Muse device. Garten estimated a 75% conversion rate for pre-order sales at the show. "As soon as people try it, they get it," she says. Muse is also already generating corporate sales. Garten declined to share specific figures but says that employee assistance programs are pre-ordering the device to help staff with stress, attention, and overall wellness.

    There may also be a market for inattentive children. Research from 2003 has shown that EEG based training can serve as a drug free alternative for treating ADHD.

    Still, similar devices didn't deliver. Zeo was a device that also took EEG readings of people to help them get better rest. The sleep industry is a $32 billion industry, and Zeo had $12.3 million in equity funding, according to a 2010 SEC filing. That's nearly twice what Interaxon has. But the company shut down. One reason it failed? Because the public didn'tunderstand it. Less accurate sleep monitors that also measured other activities, such as the Fitbit or Jawbone's Up, undermined Zeo's market.

    User education, Garten says, is the biggest hurdle Interaxon faces.

    There are a number of EEG products on the market, including those by the companies NeuroSky, Emotiv, and Mindwave. Garten believes that Interaxon is different because the company is vertically integrated -- even the algorithms, which are sophisticated enough to accommodate for different sleep patterns, moods, and sweat, are developed in house.

    Further research will extend its functionality, Garten says. "As we start to expand what Muse can do, those applications will be provided to Musers." Each headset will come with a software development kit to allow third-party developers to build upon that foundation.

    For professionals and creatives, the possibilities the technology creates could be game changing. Improving attention alone could be enough, but Microsoft's Head of Thought Leadership Kelly Jones recently wrote on Huffington Post that consumers are demanding technology that's "Intelligently On" -- technology that knows a movie is no time for a phone to ring and a software update notification that can wait until you've met your deadline.

    In other words, future technology ought to read your mind. Interaxon hopes that such a statement is as much literal as figurative

加藤表示，她的公司迄今已募集了约750万美元。去年，它计划募资500万美元，最后募得600万美元。演员艾什顿•库彻也是公司的投资者之一。在他的努力下，哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）的情景喜剧《好汉两个半》（ Two and a Half Men）在一集中提到了一个类似Interaxon的公司。他们的另一部分资金来自于众筹网站IndieGogo的一次募资活动。当时，他们计划募集15万美元，最后实际筹得了13.7万美元。

    今年的消费电子展上，人们光是为了试试“缪斯”就得等上一个小时之久。加藤估计，展会上的预订销售将有75%的转化率。她说：“一旦人们试过它，就会想买。”“缪斯”还赢得了公司采购。加藤拒绝透露这方面的具体数字，但表示员工援助计划已预订了这台设备，用来帮助那些在压力、注意力及整体健康上有问题的员工。

    注意力不集中的儿童可能也是一个市场。2003年的相关研究表明，基于EEG技术的训练可以作为治疗注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的零用药疗法。

    不过，之前类似的设备并没有取得成功。Zeo就是一台也能通过获得EEG读数帮助人们获得更好休息的设备。据2010年发布的一份美国证券交易委员会（SEC）的文件称，睡眠产业是一个价值高达320亿美元的行业，而Zeo的股权募资达到了1230万美元，几乎是Interaxon募资额的两倍。不过这家公司最后却倒闭了。它失败的一个原因在于，人们不太理解它。那些对睡眠的监测精度稍逊、同时又能测量其他活动的监控器，比如Fitbit和Jawbone's Up，削弱了Zeo的市场。

    加藤表示，用户教育是Interaxon面临的最大障碍。

    市面上有多种EGG产品，包括那些由NeuroSky, Emotiv和 Mindwave等公司开发的产品。不过加藤深信Interaxon与众不同，因为它做到了垂直整合——甚至连它的算法都是内部开发的。这个算法非常复杂精巧，足以适应各种睡眠模式、情绪和盗汗的情况。

    加藤表示，今后的研究还将拓展功能：“等到我们开始拓展缪斯的功能后，这些应用就会提供给缪斯的使用者。”每根头带都将带有一个软件开发包，可让第三方开发者在此基础上进行深度开发。

    这项技术所创造的各种可能性可能会给专业人士和创意工作者带来更深刻的改变。改善注意力本身可能就足够了，但微软公司（Microsoft）的思维领导力主管凯莉•琼斯最近在《赫芬顿邮报》（Huffington Post）上撰文表示，消费者现在要求“智能启动”的技术——也就是那种知道看电影时电话不应该响、赶完工期软件更新提示才会跳出来的技术。

    换言之，未来的技术应该能读懂人们的心思。Interaxon希望这种说法既是一种比喻，也能成为活生生的现实。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远

       The company has raised about $7.5 million to date, Garten says. It closed a $6 million roundlast year, on an offered $5 million. One of its investors is the actor Ashton Kutcher, who worked references to a company resembling Interaxon into an episode of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Another part of their funding has come from an IndieGogo campaign, where it beat its $150,000 goal by $137,000.

    At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, people waited as long as an hour just to get a chance to try the Muse device. Garten estimated a 75% conversion rate for pre-order sales at the show. "As soon as people try it, they get it," she says. Muse is also already generating corporate sales. Garten declined to share specific figures but says that employee assistance programs are pre-ordering the device to help staff with stress, attention, and overall wellness.

    There may also be a market for inattentive children. Research from 2003 has shown that EEG based training can serve as a drug free alternative for treating ADHD.

    Still, similar devices didn't deliver. Zeo was a device that also took EEG readings of people to help them get better rest. The sleep industry is a $32 billion industry, and Zeo had $12.3 million in equity funding, according to a 2010 SEC filing. That's nearly twice what Interaxon has. But the company shut down. One reason it failed? Because the public didn'tunderstand it. Less accurate sleep monitors that also measured other activities, such as the Fitbit or Jawbone's Up, undermined Zeo's market.

    User education, Garten says, is the biggest hurdle Interaxon faces.

    There are a number of EEG products on the market, including those by the companies NeuroSky, Emotiv, and Mindwave. Garten believes that Interaxon is different because the company is vertically integrated -- even the algorithms, which are sophisticated enough to accommodate for different sleep patterns, moods, and sweat, are developed in house.

    Further research will extend its functionality, Garten says. "As we start to expand what Muse can do, those applications will be provided to Musers." Each headset will come with a software development kit to allow third-party developers to build upon that foundation.

    For professionals and creatives, the possibilities the technology creates could be game changing. Improving attention alone could be enough, but Microsoft's Head of Thought Leadership Kelly Jones recently wrote on Huffington Post that consumers are demanding technology that's "Intelligently On" -- technology that knows a movie is no time for a phone to ring and a software update notification that can wait until you've met your deadline.

    In other words, future technology ought to read your mind. Interaxon hopes that such a statement is as much literal as figurative