Wearable brain sensors that work for everyone in daily life
Expanding Inclusion of All Subjects for Ultra-High Density Wearable fNIRS in the Everyday World
This project is developing wearable brain sensors that can record activity during everyday movement and communication and aims to work well for people with different hair types and skin tones.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176987 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are building wearable high-density fNIRS headgear that uses harmless infrared light to track brain activity while you move, speak, and interact. They plan to add many overlapping sensors (ultra-high density) and improve hardware and signal processing so hair characteristics and skin tone do not block the signal. The team will test and refine the system during real-world tasks and social interactions to make it comfortable and reliable. The work is focused on making brain monitoring tools that include people who have been hard to study with current devices.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People of any background who can wear a head sensor during testing sessions in or near Boston, including those with diverse hair types and skin tones and with or without neurological conditions, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Individuals who cannot safely wear head sensors (for example due to open scalp wounds, incompatible implants, or an inability to tolerate a wearable device) may not benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable brain-monitoring tools that better diagnose, track, or guide treatment for neurological and communication problems in everyday settings.
How similar studies have performed: Lab-based fNIRS has shown useful results, but ultra-high-density wearable systems that reliably include all hair types and skin tones are relatively new and still under development.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University (Charles River Campus) — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boas, David a — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Boas, David a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.