At CES, following four years of development and an initial year-long beta program, URGOTECH announces the final features and commercial availability of its groundbreaking device—URGOnight. Leveraging neurofeedback therapy, it is the world’s first daytime sleep training system that trains the brain to produce the brainwaves clinically associated with sleep. Worn and used during the day, rather than at night, the adjustable headband is easy and comfortable to wear and uses sophisticated sensors to measure brainwave activity. All images courtesy of URGOTECH. URGOnight provides the 70 million Americans that have issues falling and staying asleep with a clinical proven, drug-free way to naturally improve the quality and duration of sleep. Comprised of a wearable Electroencephalogram (EEG)-headband and app, it helps people naturally learn to increase the brainwaves that impact sleep, using technology that has been clinically proven to help people to fall asleep 40 percent faster and cut nighttime interruptions by half. The Science of Sleep Neurofeedback therapies use real-time displays of brain activity, audio and visual cues and reward strategies to teach people to identify and modify behavior to influence a desired outcome. They are used to treat and manage conditions such as sleep, ADHD, improve critical thinking, athletic capabilities and even musical performances. Until now, they are carried out in a clinical environment with medical professionals, however for the first time, URGOnight brings this medical-grade capability into the home. Just as you can train your body to run faster, jump higher, swim further or become more flexible, clinical studies have shown neurofeedback therapy can help people learn how to improve the quality of their sleep. During the night, our brains emit waves known as “sleep spindles” that control multiple aspects of sleep including how fast we fall asleep, progress through various sleep cycles and how sleep is protected from environmental disturbances such as sounds. The frequency of Sleep Spindles can be increased in the unconscious brain by increasing the frequency of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) brainwaves we produce during the day. It is these SMR waves URGOnight is able to detect and people can learn to control, leading to better sleep by increasing the speed at which people fall asleep and reducing the number of times they wake up during the night. How It Works Worn and used during the day, rather than at night, the adjustable headband is easy and comfortable to wear and uses sophisticated sensors to measure brainwave activity. Advanced hardware and software engineering were needed to transform a traditional EEG system, which is typically large, cumbersome and comprised of multichannel (typically 8) using multiple wet electrodes, into an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable headband people would want to wear. The technology has been used in clinical sleep centers around the world for decades and now with URGOnight, we are making it more fun and accessible and conveniently usable in the comfort of the home. The lightweight URGOnight headband uses only 2 channels and dry electrodes that do not require the application of gel. It is placed above the sensorimotor cortex of the user’s brain to capture readings and is protected against ambient noise and interference to ensure accuracy with the cables on its electronic board shielded to French Office of the Atomic and Alternative Energies standards. The system is designed to be used 20 minutes a day, three times a week. People place the headband comfortably over their head and connect it to the dedicated iOS and Android app. Within the app, users can see their brainwaves in real-time before they start the dedicated 20-minute brain training exercises. The sleep training programs consist of playful exercises inspired by various themes. Within the games, users are assigned tasks (that are triggered when SMR waves are produced) and see their results, scores and in real-time. There are several themes to choose from with tasks ranging from growing leaves on trees, herding jellyfish and drawing relaxing patterns. The app also allows users to access stats and achievements and share successes and progresses on social media. A virtual coach in the app guides them throughout their journey, explaining the exercises and providing advice on improving scores. Programs continually adjust to the individual user to ensure their brains are in a constant learning curve and results continue to improve over time. With just minutes a day, people begin to see results after 10-15 sessions and sustainable results after 40 sessions. “Just as you can train your body to run faster, jump higher, swim further or become more flexible, clinical studies have shown neurofeedback therapy can help people learn how to improve the quality of their sleep,” said Guirec Le Lous, Founder of URGOTECH, the company behind URGONight. “The technology has been used in clinical sleep centers around the world for decades and now with URGOnight, we are making it more fun and accessible and conveniently usable in the comfort of the home.” Source
