Decoding real time information of the human’s mental and affective states covertly, i.e. without actively prompting the participant, could lead to adaptations in the environment, whereby the participants comfort and safety are prioritized (e.g. loss of attention, or increasing of stress). The Mindtooth system will allow the integration of cerebral information of users with the surrounding technological environment. Mindtooth will become an attractive and useful tool to evaluate new devices and workstations from the unconscious human perspective, i.e. putting the human at the center. The impact of Mindtooth is foreseen to be then transversal, universal, and ground-breaking, as the Bluetooth® concept has been revolutionary in allowing different devices to be connected.
The challenge of the Mindtooth project is to allow the use of “out-of-the-lab” neuroscience in operational sectors by providing easy access to a large number neurometrics, such as those relating to mental workload, stress, and vigilance. Several companies already tried to provide solutions for this, but are limited in terms of wearability, signal quality and reliability. The Mindtooth system is unique with respect to the potential competitors, as it out-performs its rivals on the following key aspects:
Accuracy and Reliability: employment of neurometrics validated in several EU projects and International collaborations and in different contexts (e.g. aviation, air traffic management, automotive, industry) are therefore capable of: (i) ensuring high and reliable signal quality; and (ii) providing accurate assessment of the user’s states. Technological quality standards are guaranteed by the project partners’ expertise.
Suitability: Mindtooth is easy-to-use and designed not to interfere with the normal execution of tasks, therefore no modifications in the habits and procedures of the users are needed, nor any modification is required in any of the existing infrastructure in which the Mindtooth is deployed. The paradigm employed by Mindtooth is “plug and play” and this is highly appreciated by potential customers.
Marketability: the market analysis determined that the major barrier to entering the market and commercialization is not related to Mindtooth's capability (already validated in hundreds of trials), but rather to its simple embedding in a widespread ensemble of applications, varying from sector to sector. The Mindtooth system will be focused on facilitating such versatility and will be designed specifically to fulfil the requirement of the considered applications. The project concluded with the commercialisation of the Mindtooth Lite. A version of the device that will be formally launched in January 2023, and commercialised through an agreement between BrainSigns and Brain Products, targeting initially the R&D market.
Enabling a smart channel of communication between the human mind and machines in a systematic, reliable and affordable way, Mindtooth would produce invaluable benefits not only in the specific fields targeted by the project but in a huge set of current European social challenges, such as smart and connected cities, connected and automated vehicles, cybersecurity, health, safety, 4.0 Industry, thus promoting European industrial leadership worldwide.
