Wearable that tracks brain waves aims to measure your level of focus - Scitke

If you struggle to concentrate or remain fully present, a new device can now track how frequently your attention wanders.

That is the idea behind Atlas, a wellness startup’s first wearable device. The device helps users understand how their brains respond in different situations, enabling them to identify and optimize the activities that matter most, from work to social interactions.

Wearable tracks brain activity and attention throughout the day

The Atlas 1.0 is an electroencephalography (EEG) device that attaches behind the ear with an adhesive pad placed on the skin. It continuously monitors brain activity throughout the day while also recording electrodermal activity, body movement, and speaking behavior. Additional sensors analyze speech patterns without recording the actual words being spoken.

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Atlas

Atlas sends these signals to its AI-powered system, which analyzes them to estimate your level of attention and presence, how stressed you were, and how much energy you used during different activities, whether you were in a meeting, spending time with family, or completing a task at work.

App insights reveal your best and weakest performance moments

The companion mobile app displays these measurements, giving users a clearer picture of when they were performing at their best and when their focus or energy may have dropped.

Atlas seeks to answer questions such as whether you were truly engaged during dinner with your family, which people bring out your best self, whether pressure improves your performance, and which activities you continue to prioritize even when you’re exhausted.

According to the company, consistently recording this information over several months can reveal detailed patterns in how you respond to different situations and help identify the circumstances in which you perform at your best.

Users can then use those insights to recreate the conditions that help them stay focused and engaged. In Atlas’ words, the goal is to identify the “patterns, people, and habits that drive peak performance.”

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Atlas

Atlas says its algorithms use what it describes as the world’s largest real-world brain activity dataset to train its system, with more than 500,000 recordings.

Can brain data help overcome today’s distractions?

While that is a substantial amount of data, the real test will come after users have collected information over several months. The concept is particularly appealing in an age when multiple screens constantly compete for our attention and can make it increasingly difficult to stay focused and present. The bigger question, however, is whether all this data can actually help people overcome such powerful sources of distraction.

The answer will take some time to emerge. Based in San Francisco, Atlas has raised $24 million to develop activity-monitoring technology. The wearable itself costs $500 upfront, while users must pay an additional $30 per month for replacement sensors, adhesive pads, and access to the company’s AI-powered data analysis services.

The purchase includes the first three months of supplies and services. Pre-orders are currently available, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027.