NextSense, a neurotechnology company specializing in in-ear brain-sensing wearables, demonstrated its Smartbuds, wireless earbuds with integrated EEG (electroencephalography) sensors, at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The product, first unveiled under the Tone brand at CES 2025, drew crowds for its consumer-grade brainwave monitoring and real-time sleep enhancement features.
The Smartbuds use six clinical-grade dry-contact EEG sensors (three per earbud) made of flexible conductive polymer, eliminating the need for gel or multiple scalp electrodes typical in traditional medical EEGs. They sample at 1000 Hz with 2, 24-bit channels to track brain rhythms, detect sleep stages (including N3 deep sleep), and measure slow-wave activity, a key marker of restorative sleep that wrist-based trackers cannot directly capture.
When the earbuds detect shifts toward lighter sleep or suboptimal patterns, they deliver adaptive audio, including subtle pink noise pulses synced to brainwaves, to nudge users back into deeper, more restorative states without waking them. The system also supports Relax and Focus modes during the day, adjusting soundscapes in real time based on brain activity and motion data to promote calm or concentration.
Additional features include:
- Premium audio drivers (6 mm dynamic, 20 Hz–20 kHz range) for music, podcasts, calls, and sleep soundscapes.
- Integrated microphone.
- Up to 9 hours of playback/stimulation battery life.
- App-based insights for sleep time, latency, efficiency, and slow-wave metrics.
- Comfort-focused design for all-night wear in any sleep position.
NextSense emphasizes that the Smartbuds are a consumer wellness device, not a medical diagnostic tool, and are not intended as a substitute for clinical EEG, diagnosis, or treatment of sleep disorders or neurological conditions. The company has validated its ear-EEG technology in peer-reviewed studies for sleep stage classification and focal seizure detection, with performance comparable to traditional lab-based methods in controlled settings.
The Smartbuds are currently available for pre-order at $399 via nextsense.io, with shipments beginning in February 2026. A monthly subscription (starting after an initial trial period) provides replacement ear tips and wings (recommended every ~30 days) to maintain comfort and EEG signal quality; the subscription is $14.99/month and can be managed or canceled anytime.
Hands-on reports from CES 2026 (including ZDNET coverage published January 8–10, 2026) highlighted the earbuds’ potential to go beyond passive tracking, offering proactive sleep improvement through bio-responsive audio. NextSense, founded by Jonathan Berent (former Google/X executive), has positioned the product as a step toward democratizing brain health insights in everyday wearables. No major hardware changes were announced at CES 2026; the showcase focused on live demos and continued refinement ahead of broader availability.
