Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 7.7 x 6.4 x 3 inches |
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Package Weight | 0.45 Kilograms |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 2.99 x 6.34 x 7.68 inches |
Item Weight | 0.8 Pounds |
Brand Name | MUSE |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Warranty Description | B00LOQR37C |
Model Name | Muse MU-02-BK-EN: The Brain Sensing Headband, Black |
Color | Black Headband ONLY (No Case) |
Material | Elasticized-Fabric |
Number of Items | 1 |
Manufacturer | Gaiam |
Part Number | 05-61561 |
Model Year | 1 |
Style | Headband ONLY (No Case) |
Included Components | Muse MU-02-BK-EN: The Brain Sensing Headband, Black |
Size | 0.1 |
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The Brain Sensing Headband,
Color | Black Headband ONLY (No Case) |
Age Range (Description) | Adult |
Material | Elasticized-Fabric |
Number of Items | 1 |
Item Weight | 0.8 Pounds |
About this item
- MEDITATION MADE EASY: Muse is your personal meditation assistant by providing EEG based real-time neurofeedback, allowing you to take the guesswork out of your meditation practice
- MUSE WILL GUIDE YOU TO A CALM MIND: Sometimes your mind is calm and sometimes it's active - Muse will teach you to recognize a calm mind and help you get there
- IMMERSE YOURSELF: Put on the Muse headband, plug in your earbuds or headphones, start the app, and close your eyes. Immerse yourself within the sounds of a beach or rainforest via the Muse App on iOS or Android
- REAL-TIME TRACKING & FEEDBACK: While you meditate, Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active, and translates that data into weathers sounds
- REVIEW DATA AFTER EACH SESSION: After each session, review your data, set goals, and build a deeply rewarding meditation practice that gets better every time
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From the manufacturer
Why meditate with Muse?
Muse is the first tool in the world that gives you accurate, real-time feedback on what’s happening in your brain when you meditate. Improve your meditation practice in as little as 3 minutes a day – any time, anywhere.
Personalized tracking, motivational challenges and rewards encourage you to build a more regular and effective practice.
Experience all the benefits of meditation – such as relaxation, improved mood and reduced stress – with none of the uncertainty.
The science behind Muse
Your brain is constantly generating electrical signals when you’re thinking, sleeping or even relaxing. These signals can be detected from outside your head, via sensors.
Muse uses the same brain sensing technology that doctors and scientists have employed for more than a century to detect your brain signals, similar to how a heart monitor measures your pulse.
Muse has 7 finely calibrated sensors – 2 on the forehead, 2 behind the ears plus 3 reference sensors – which detect and measure the activity of your brain.
Product Description
Muse is your personal meditation assistant. While you meditate, Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active, and translates that data into weather sounds. When you’re calm, you’ll hear peaceful weather sounds. When your mind wanders, the weather will intensify, guiding you back to a calm state. After each session, review your data, set goals, and build a deeply rewarding meditation practice that gets better every time.
Muse is compatible with a wide range of Apple and Android devices. Muse requires Bluetooth LE 4.0 or higher.
Apple - Muse works best with Apple devices using iOS 10 and above.
Android - Muse works best with Android devices which use Android operating system 5.0 or higher.
Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
ASIN | B00LOQR37C |
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Customer Reviews |
4.0 out of 5 stars |
Date First Available | July 28, 2014 |
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Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband, Black
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, ease of use, and feedback of the meditation product. They mention that it's a great help for mindfulness, relaxation, and concentration training. They appreciate the constant feedback. That said, some complain about the connectivity issues.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the quality of the product. They say it's very effective, useful, and works great. They also appreciate the good feedback and the solid companion app.
"......" Read more
"...The app just has one activity—simple calming meditation—but it's very effective and helpful at that...." Read more
"...I have found that the nearly instantaneous feedback on the quality of my meditation to be something that no mediation class or instructor has been..." Read more
"...It does not work as advertised and even if it were capable of doing what is says, it goes against the very concept of meditation by contradicting..." Read more
Customers find the meditation in the product to be a great help for mindfulness, relaxation, and concentration training. They say the sound-tracks really enhance the experience. They mention that the meditation is very enjoyable, and the sound track really enhances the experience, helping them focus and meditate at a much deeper level. Customers also say that the product provides encouragement with reminders and goals that incentivizes the user to develop meditation habits. They also say it's an elegant tool for neurofeedback and helps put things in perspective.
"...of the immediate feedback, the reward system, and the documented brainwave output makes it rather attractive to use the device -- yes, we're easy to..." Read more
"...Muse is a simple, elegant tool for neurofeedback. The headband just reads data and transmits it to an app that runs on your phone or tablet...." Read more
"...benefits from regular meditation including reduced stress, lowered blood pressure, increased focus and energy and improved performance in many areas...." Read more
"...The device truly works as a Monkey Mind Alarm and I find this to be an enormous benefit in using the Muse. It is essentially a biofeedback device...." Read more
Customers find the product easy to use. They say the interface is intuitive and simple to use, the setup is easy, and the Bluetooth connection is simple to setup. Customers also say the first session was easy to complete and the additional apps work. They mention that the calm stat is simple and significant, making it easy to know how long to do a session for.
"...follow, my experience in the actual meditation is that it is very clear and obvious, not least because the device helps to you be more detached from..." Read more
"...Muse is a simple, elegant tool for neurofeedback. The headband just reads data and transmits it to an app that runs on your phone or tablet...." Read more
"...Set up went flawlessly (I'm running it on an iPhone 6) and I settled in for my first session...." Read more
"...I must admit that for the first month of use it was a frustrating experience...." Read more
Customers like the feedback provided by the product. They say it's great, constant, and not annoying. Customers also mention that the app tracks their meditations and provides a real-time readout on how active their brain is. They also say it improves sleep and raises performance in certain areas.
"...The combination of the immediate feedback, the reward system, and the documented brainwave output makes it rather attractive to use the device -- yes..." Read more
"...program I was able to improve my sleep and raise my performance in certain areas such as the speed of processing information, memory and verbal..." Read more
"...It is essentially a biofeedback device...." Read more
"...What I find most valuable is the constant feedback -- when meditating traditionally it is easy to drift for a few moments before realizing it is..." Read more
Customers find the meditation experience pleasant and rewarding with the Calm app. They also say the app tries to gamify the experience by providing metrics on things such as. They mention that it makes meditation fun and almost a game of sorts. Customers also say that it's rewarding to see the results of their meditation and that it provides feedback.
"...It was OK for relaxing the body, but I am moving on to "mind" now, and this is just not working...." Read more
"...the app is simple and well-designed, and I have found it to be a really enjoyable and effective tool for relaxation and concentration training...." Read more
"...The Calm app tries to gamify the experience by providing metrics on things such as: what percent of the time you were calm, how many minutes you’ve..." Read more
"...And there is a FUN factor seeing your results!..." Read more
Customers find the concept of the product interesting, brilliant, and well-designed. They also say the instructions are simple and well done. Overall, customers describe the product as a beautiful and well thought out device with a lot of potential.
"...Here are several ways the Muse helps me:Quantification builds belief...." Read more
"...62; HardwareThe design is simple and elegant and very lightweight. The buttons on the device are very easy to learn to work...." Read more
"...product the headband is comfortable, the app is simple and well-designed, and I have found it to be a really enjoyable and effective tool for..." Read more
"...Provides some interesting data on your mindCON’S• It can take some patience getting the right fit•..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the value of the EEG. Some find it well worth the cost, a good cost-benefit commercial EEG, and a great job investment. However, others say that it's expensive, not worth the price, and the initial investment can be steep. Some customers also mention that the setting stayed on the default value when it was supposed to have.
"...Of course, you can find timers and excellent guided mediations for free." Read more
"...It is an expensive and fragile device and its value to you will probably be quite limited...." Read more
"...This was amazing to me. A truly portable and somewhat affordable EEG.The app that comes with it is great too...." Read more
"...After setting a weekly goal, the setting stayed on the default value when it was supposed to have changed at the beginning of the week...." Read more
Customers have connectivity issues with the headband. They mention that the Bluetooth connectivity is terrible, and it takes a couple of tries to connect to the app. Some customers also report that the app cannot be connected with the server.
"...However.* It can't keep a bluetooth connection as well as my 69.00 Motorola BT gateway.*..." Read more
"...I've noticed it sometimes just don't connect, until I have started my 'Muse Headband' app...." Read more
"...Had initially two times problem with the Bluetooth connection...." Read more
"...paired but will only stay paired for three seconds then it dumps the connection. I'm returning it to Amazon for a replacement...." Read more
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The longer I am using it, the more I like it. I have now done over 100 sessions with it. One effect it had on me is that I am now mediating twice a day with it, while I used to only mediate once a day before. I sit now early in the morning around 8:00 for 15 or 20 minutes, and then around 9:30 in the evening. I sometimes also meditate without it during the day at work, but these two meditations in the morning and the evening have become a well-loved fixture in my life. And because it really helps you to get these Alpha waves going for extended periods, you will actually start craving meditation. I am very grateful to the folks at Muse!
Update on Sep. 2, 2018:
Have been using it for more than two weeks now. In addition to what said below, I want to reiterate what others have remarked on the calibration: If you are really relaxed during calibration, it might be overly sensitive and pick up on every little distraction. If you're fidgety and nervous or just think a lot during calibration, it might end up too generous and not pick up on the smaller distractions. So, it is definitely worth paying attention to the calibration and your respective status, otherwise you may end up with an inadequate calibration.
I have been using the Muse Headband for a bit more than a week now and I am mostly rather enthusiastic about it. There are some issues with it, too, which I will discuss later, as they are actually a blessing in disguise. So, first the unproblematic positives:
First of all, I am highly impressed with the bio-feedback qualities of this device. Using it for meditation is like doing meditation under a magnifying glass: You understand much more precisely when you're in a truly quiet state and when you're getting distracted. It also helps you (due to the feedback) to get very quickly into a quiet state, something I earlier only experienced during silent retreats.
Second, you learn much more precisely to react to distractions. I have had times in meditation where I got distracted and stayed in that distracted state fairly long, as I was missing a "warning system" that would pull me out. With the Muse Headband, you get a pretty quick response to your distraction and after a bit of adjustment, you can actually react immediately, so that you're not even getting into a state of major distraction.
Third, it allows you to distinguish much better between the meditating/observing mind and the thoughts that come up. It really helps you to stay neutral and non-judgemental towards these thoughts and just let them come and go. I have been doing regular (usually daily) meditation for the past 3 years, and did it less regularly before that, so I am fairly experienced. However, while I never had much of a problem getting into a relaxed, calm stat of mind, I often had trouble to remain aware and to distinguish my awareness from the observed thoughts without getting involved in these thoughts and thus getting distracted. The Muse Headband helps in creating awareness of and distance to potentially distracting thoughts, thus effectively preventing you from getting distracted by them.
Finally, I also feel that using this device makes it much more easy to meditate regularly and more than once a day. The combination of the immediate feedback, the reward system, and the documented brainwave output makes it rather attractive to use the device -- yes, we're easy to please creatures :-). In any case, it has (so far) helped me to increase my meditation frequency and duration.
For these three points alone, I feel like my meditation practice has been advanced tremendously in a very short amount of time.
Now for the issues that complicate things:
One issue that other reviewers have brought up, too, is that the device does not always catch distracted thinking. In fact, if you think very concrete, individual thoughts in an otherwise calm state of mind, it will likely interpret these thoughts as concentration, not as distraction, even though these thoughts can be fairly distracting. For instance, if you think "it is going to be interesting how this looks like on the brainwave diagram" during a calm state, it will not react to it. And you can draw out such concrete thoughts without the Muse Headband identifying them as distraction, as long as you stay focused on them and keep your calm state. I guess this has to do with the fact that such thoughts are very specific and concentrated. Some reviewer mentioned that doing puzzles can have this result, too, which is unsurprising because you're concentrating a lot when you're doing a puzzle.
On the other hand, the system is extremely sensitive towards cognitive "background noise," i.e. unfocused daydreaming and drifting of thoughts, as well as emotional reactions or visual imagery (as long as they are not focused, of course). This sensitivity has actually been very valuable for me, because I was not too aware of how much cognitive "background noise" I am producing and how deeply this can interfere with a calm state of mind. I always focused much more on the individual, focused thoughts, which are much easier to identify. So, while the device is not much of a help in catching these individual, focused thoughts, it reliably catches the background noise, which is ultimately much more disruptive, provided you're sufficiently aware of your concrete thoughts.
This means: If you want a device that helps you directly to become aware of your concrete, focused thoughts during meditation, then the Muse Headband is not much of a help, as it won't react to them, unless they are accompanied by less focused background noise (which, by the way, happens usually relatively quickly when you follow those thoughts, as you'll start daydreaming about them!). However, the system is extremely helpful in creating awareness of your background noise and imagery, which often go undetected in "unsupported" meditation sessions.
Moreover, one indirect effect this has is that it not only raises your awareness of cognitive background noise, it also helps in isolating the concrete, focused thoughts from the background noise, so that you will be much more aware of those focused thoughts as distractions. This is, then, how the device can help you indirectly to also control the focused thoughts.
While this may seem a bit complicated and hard to follow, my experience in the actual meditation is that it is very clear and obvious, not least because the device helps to you be more detached from your own thinking that you normally are. Maybe that's not a problem other meditators have and it is only my individual issue. But for me, the Muse Headband has been a real eye-opener and an incredibly helpful device, as it has put my mind under the microscope.
I also want to add that I have absolutely no connection problems or pairing issues. For me, the device has been working just wonderfully.
I do share the concerns of other reviewers that it is not clear from the output you get on the app what type of brainwaves are being recorded, and how the system interprets them. At some point, I might look more deeply into that (and, as others have mentioned, there are apps that help you to get the raw data instead of the interpreted ones). For now, however, I am simply very happy to have a device that supports and improves my meditation practice dramatically. Obviously I will need to see how it plays out in the long run. I will add updates to this review at a later point.
Muse is a simple, elegant tool for neurofeedback. The headband just reads data and transmits it to an app that runs on your phone or tablet. The app just has one activity—simple calming meditation—but it's very effective and helpful at that. I do hope they'll come out with more activities, but for now, that is all you get. I am using mine with an iPhone.
The headband comes in a roughly cubical plastic/cardboard box, with the entire device visible. Opening is a bit of a pain, as you have to remove several clear stickers & bits of tape. Inside are the headband, a USB cord for charging (not data transfer), and a small quickstart guide. Mine came with very little charge, which caused dropouts during my first session, so be sure to charge yours up for ~20 minutes before first using it.
When you launch the app, you are guided through Bluetooth pairing (which pops you out of the app unfortunately, not Muse's fault). You are also guided through basic fitting and calibration, before being led to your first session. Calibration involves thinking of things from 3 different categories, given one after the other. I found that I think of some things in names/words, and others in visual imagery. Either way it seems to work.
As noted, there is just one activity. You choose a session length of 3, 7, 12, or 20 minutes. Then you are shown a scene of a beach with a bit of grass, a sunny sky, and some breeze blowing the grass and clouds about. The more distracted you are, the stronger the breeze and the more clouds there are. The calmer you are, the quieter the breeze and the clearer the sky. That's it! You are encouraged to count your breaths to maintain focus, but really any meditation technique will do. The auditory feedback is clear without adding to your distraction (unless you look; visual stimuli are obviously very distracting!).
When your session is done, you are shown some graphs and charts telling you how much time you spend distracted, calm, or in the middle, and how this compares to other sessions (once you have done a couple). You get points for % time spent calm or in the middle, and once you rack up 5000 Muse shows you a bit more info in the form of a timeline and insights on how your practice is going.
Aaaand...that's it. Now, I used another biofeedback product back in the day (Wild Divine—full disclosure, I rewrote their device driver for them). It used skin conductivity and heart rate variability for a different gauging of calm. I developed a decent awareness of my sympathetic/parasympathetic state from that, and I do wish this product took that into account. There were definitely times when Muse's idea of my calm/distracted state did not match my feeling of autonomic calm/excitation. Wild Divine also had many, many exercises to do in a exploratory game-like context, which was great for motivation.
The app does not show you raw brainwave data (alpha, beta, delta and all that). It's a bit of a shame, but I can see why they might want to keep the geek factor way down. There is an SDK you can download from the maker, but I haven't tried it yet—or rather, I haven't gotten it to work. That's how things often are with SDKs....
Misc notes: You can do a "guest session" where the stats aren't saved, so you can let your friends try it. You can also choose a male or female voice for the instructions; they're both nice, calm, reassuring voices. There are Twitter and Facebook buttons to share your session results, but of course you need the appropriate app installed for them to work; they won't take you to an appropriate web page if the app isn't installed.
If you could use a little help finding more calm in your day, and have the money to spare, this is a good tool.
Top reviews from other countries
I love it.
I was taught Transcendental Meditation many years ago to learn how to relax so am familiar with how to meditate.
The feedback provided by the Muse headband app makes it SO EASY to meditate and you have feedback that you are doing it correctly.
This would be invaluable to someone who wants to learn how to meditate and an important tool to someone who already knows how and wants to enhance their expierence.
I would give it a 12 out of 10.
L'application est en français aujourd'hui.
L'appareil est très précis, le moindre clignement d’œil est notifié sur le tracé de l'EEG. Ajouté à cela que d'autres applications ont été développés par des tiers pour exploiter l'appareil.
Je pense à EEG101 (gratuit et seulement sur Android à ma connaissance) qui permet de s'initier ce qu'est un EEG et comment cela fonctionne. Puis une application 'Moniteur pour Muse' (sur Android et IOS) qui permet d'afficher le relevés des ondes cérébrales et les activités électriques du cerveau sur l'écran en temps réel et notamment d'en faire la sauvegarde (sur Excel notamment). Un très bon complément à l'application de Muse mais seul bémol c'est payant aux alentours de 15€ si je me rappelle bien. Des critiques que j'ai pu lire sur cette application c'est qu'elle n'est pas valable pour Muse 2.