Technology has permeated into every facet of our lives, and our health is no exception. As a result, the dependency to visit the healthcare center is gradually declining since most of the health checkups and tests can now be done sitting in the comfort of home.
The Medtech industry has become an integral part of the healthcare sector due to the fact people are more invested in their well-being and health. In particular, millennials are keen about making the right choice when it comes to their fitness and diet. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and chatbots are some of the latest cutting-edge technology entering the world of medicine and healthcare.
On top of that, there is a growing category of companies focused on brain health technologies including both mental health apps and devices that monitor or stimulate the brain. Having said that, the brain tech holds great potential to help us understand and control our minds.
In this regard, here are some of the coolest medtech products from European startups you should know in 2020.
BrainWaveBank (Belfast, UK) – Transforms our understanding of brain health with AI
Founders: Brian Murphy, Ronan Cunningham, Siggi Saevarsson, Urs Streidl
Founded in 2015, the UK company makes it possible to measure & track brain activity and cognitive performance for anyone, anytime, anywhere. Right now, the company is developing brain-based biomarkers towards a range of use-cases including early detection of brain disorders, stratification of patient groups, and treatment response tracking.
Recently, BrainWaveBank raised €1.2 million funding led by Par Equity and supported by Techstart Ventures, Co-Fund II, Angel CoFund, and British Business Investments. The company intends to use this funding to further develop its technology, scale up its commercial activities, and roll out the platform in the global market.
Flow (Malmo, Sweden) – Designed to treat depression through electrical wave
Founders: Daniel Mansson and Erik Rehn
Flow is a medical device and therapy app startup designed to treat depression. It is Europe’s first medically-approved brain stimulation device available for people to use at home to treat depression. The set comprises a portable brain stimulation headset and therapy app.
Generally, people diagnosed with depression often have lower neural activity in their left frontal lobe. The Flow headset offers a gentle electrical signal to stimulate the left frontal cortex and rebalance neural activity in this part of the brain. The user interacts with a virtual therapy app that provides information and advice on lifestyle changes.
The Flow headset retails at £399 (€444), and the virtual therapy app is available on iOS for free.
Lexilife (Rennes, France) – A lamp fighting against prejudices about dyslexia
This French company aims to improve the daily lives of people with dyslexia. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lexilife offers tips and tricks to help you set a new routine for you and your family. You can check it out here. The company is also lending the Lexilight lamp until the end of the school year and for a minimum of 30 days.
For people with dyslexia, both eyes send information to the brain, creating complex mirror image problems that make reading difficult. The Lexilife lamp emits pulses of light, which results in one eye to take precedence over the other. It is also proved to work with 90% of people as well.
FasTeesH (Lyon, France) – The 10 seconds toothbrush
This French startup has developed a toothbrush that cleans all teeth simultaneously, simply and effectively, in just 10 seconds. The Y-Brush looks like a mouthguard filled with tiny brushes. Fill the toothpaste across, insert, and bite down. The clusters of nylon bristles will go to work on either your lower or upper teeth and brush them with varying angles for five seconds. Once it’s done, take it out, refill the paste and repeat the process.
URGONight (Paris, France) – Activate your natural ability to sleep well
URGOnight is the world’s first daytime Sleep Training Program based on neurofeedback technology to train your brain to produce the brainwaves clinically associated with sleep. The headband consists of four dry electrodes, two on the top of the head & two behind the ears.
These electrodes record sensorimotor (SMR) brainwaves, for which an increase during the day correlates with better sleep at night. This program will guide you through customised brain exercises, through a mobile application paired with an EEG-based headband. Furthermore, users can get real-time feedback on your brainwave activity through visual and audio cues.
Main image credits: BrainWaveBank