There are two types of meditators: Those who can plunk down and cogitate sans accoutrements, and those who feel better when their brain is being analyzed by seven “finely calibrated EEG sensors,” courtesy of a smart headband that would be at home in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
If you are the latter, you’re in luck. The Muse 2 headband is now on the market.
We wrote about the first iteration all the way back in 2015, but per Cool Hunting, the second edition “monitors the mind (through EEG), heart (through PPG and pulse-oximetry), body (through its accelerometer) and breath (through PPG and its built-in gyroscope).”
Translated into English, here’s how it works: The Muse 2 connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone. Simply slip it on and your earbuds of choice in, and launch the app to start. Real-time feedback will guide you seamlessly through a meditation, helping you with posture, breathing and more. Rather than berate you when you’re not focused, Muse 2 cues stormy weather sounds that act as a cue to bring attention back to your breath — at which point the storm will (sonically) clear.
It’s easy to be snarky about gear like this, which takes an action that’s meant to be conducted entirely within the body — breath, focus, all that — and turns it into data for an app to quantify. But if it gets more people meditating [who can afford the $249 price tag], so be it.
In the meantime, we look forward with interest to the arrival of quantified-self sex dolls, equipped to provide a full report on your performance.
Images via Muse
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