Exercise Your Mind with the Mendi Brain Trainer

Keeping ourselves in shape is important, and up until the pandemic hit, gyms could be seen packed with people seemingly no matter what the hour was. While the gyms are now closed, people have switched to working out at home. That said, exercising the mind is essential as well, which can be trained just like you would a bicep using Mendi. This clinical-grade neurofeedback device features a headband that picks up neural activity and uses it to control a training game.

According to its creators, using Mendi strengthens the PFC (Prefrontal Cortex) portion of the brain, which controls the brain’s pathways. The headband hardware is based on fNIRS (functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) technology, which measures blood flow and oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex. The headset emits an IR light that monitors activity in the front part of the brain, and real-time measurement data to play the corresponding game. The thing is, you need to be calm and focused to do so, as it increases the activity in the PFC, and thus trains the mind.

There are several sensors housed on the headband that is mounted on a springy base, which allows them to press the forehead for making steady contact with the skin. The headgear connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet that runs the app, which includes the training game and a journal to keep track of training and progress.

The Mendi is said to be rechargeable and carry enough power for 60 training sessions (about 10 minutes in length) before needing a recharge. The company is currently crowdfunding Mendi on Kickstarter, with pledges starting at $299 and up, which gets you the device, micro USB cable and app.