Latest Galea Beta device was revealed for the first time on-stage, along with OpenBCI’s future vision for “Galea Unlimited” wearable computer.
Dec. 1, 2023 Helsinki, Finland
Today at Slush 2023, OpenBCI’s vision for the future of computing was revealed by Conor Russomanno (Founder & CEO) and Joseph Artuso (President & CCO). OpenBCI has spent the last decade building hardware and software for interfacing with the brain and body. The company’s Galea product line combines multiple forms of physiological sensors with head-mounted displays. On-stage today, OpenBCI showed the Galea Beta device for the first time, and defined the long-term plan for the Galea product line as “building the full computer, or what we’re calling Galea Unlimited.”
OpenBCI’s highly-anticipated Galea Beta device includes a range of sensors that simultaneously measure the user’s heart, skin, muscles, eyes, and brain. Galea Beta includes eye-tracking and displays from Finnish headset-maker, Varjo and can be ordered with the Varjo Aero or XR-3. The Galea Beta sensors can be used without the HMD, or can be tethered to a high-powered PC and used for collecting data from VR and XR environments.
“The Galea Beta program has drawn significant interest from innovation teams across gaming, entertainment, aviation, simulation & training, and human factors engineering for automotive and other industrial applications,” according to OpenBCI President & CCO Joseph Artuso. “Feedback from our early partners at Valve and AFRL has been instrumental in the development of Galea Beta. The common theme across our early adopters is a desire to use Galea’s sensor data to help quantify otherwise qualitative mental experiences.”
In addition to the public reveal of Galea Beta, Russomanno discussed OpenBCI’s vision for the future of the product line: Galea Unlimited. “Our long-term goal for Galea is to bring everything you see here on the table, together into one device. Optics, CPU, I/O and sensors, in one tightly synchronized integrated system.”
With the announcement of Galea Unlimited, OpenBCI joins the race alongside Apple, Meta, and an emerging class of hardware-focused newcomers all looking to define the next evolution of our everyday computers. Russomanno and team believe that the convergence of spatial computing, wearable sensors, and artificial intelligence will define the next generation of devices.
Earlier this year, at the TED Possibilities conference in Toronto, Russomanno articulated the Company’s progression from focusing primarily on EEG data from the brain, to a more multi-modal approach:
“What we learned from all of this is that the brain by itself is actually quite boring. Turns out brain data alone lacks context. And what we ultimately care about is not the brain, but the mind, consciousness, human cognition.”
Galea Unlimited will provide much-needed context by including the ability to combine multiple wireless sensor “coins” into a network that allows users to add or subtract additional sensors or stimulators around the body. By running the entire network from a single system clock, OpenBCI aims to reduce the latency and synchronization challenges that often plague biosensor-driven applications. Russomanno also acknowledged recent advancements in machine learning and AI as an essential catalyst for classifying the ocean of multi-dimensional sensor data into accurate quantifications of a user’s intentions, emotions, and other qualitative mental experiences. Guided by these insights, computers like Galea Unlimited will be able to truly personalize themselves to the user’s mind and body, and pave the way for human-computer interactions that feel more like a natural extension of the user’s own body.
“Imagine a digital assistant that actually understands your intent, without the need for trial-and-error text or autocorrect instructions. Games, movies, and lesson plans that can tailor themselves to the individual user. Healthcare and preventative care powered by personalized data and an always on early warning system,” said Russomanno on-stage when discussing Galea Unlimited’s applications.
“All this is possible, but only if users can trust that their device is acting in their best interest. OpenBCI is committed to the primacy of user control over their personal data. Users need to be firmly in control of the keys to their own mental vault. Part of the reason I’m sharing our roadmap publicly is to increase the chances that this shift in the status quo is realized.”
OpenBCI is based in Brooklyn, NY and will be launching their Series A fundraise in January 2024 to build the future of computers through wearable neurotechnology.
Media Assets:
2023.12.01 – OpenBCI Slush Media Kit
Media Contact:
About OpenBCI
OpenBCI creates open-source tools for biosensing and neuroscience. OpenBCI’s mission is to lower the barrier to entry for brain-computer interfacing, while ensuring that these technologies are adopted into the consumer landscape in an ethical way that protects user agency and mental health.
About Galea
Galea is a hardware and software platform that unites spatial computing, artificial intelligence, and wearable neurotechnology. Galea Beta is the first device that integrates EEG, EMG, EDA, PPG, and eye-tracking into a single headset. By combining a multi-modal sensor system with the immersion of augmented and virtual reality, Galea Beta gives researchers, developers, and creators a powerful new tool for understanding and augmenting the human mind and body.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.