I just experienced the closest thing to Jedi powers at CES 2025. And it could have huge implications for accessibility.
While Elon Musk's Neuralink has generated a lot of buzz, the Naqi Logix promises the same type of device control with non-invasive Neural Earbuds. These earbuds aren't for playing music. They translate brain waves and micro-gestures from your body into actions, whether it's clenching your jaw or moving your eyes quickly from side to side.
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The company has shown off the Neural Earbuds before. But it was cool to see how they work ahead of a possible launch this year, and Naqi Logix brought a new single earbud design to CES I got to check out.
But let's get back to the demo. I put on a wired pair of Naqi Neural Earbuds (the company is experimenting with several designs) and after a quick explainer on how they work I tried to control a lamp in front of me without saying a word or lifting a finger. All I had to do was clench my teeth twice, and the light turned on and off with minimal delay.
Next, I tried to change the color of the light with a quick sideways glance. This took some practice, as it needs to be pretty fast to work and intentional, so the Neural Earbuds don't mistake a casual sideways glance with an action. It worked well, and I felt like I was getting the hang of things.
During another demo I moved an on-screen gopher from one hole to the next from left to right across a laptop display. This is a neat way to practice, and I could see how those who don't have full use of their hands could really benefit from a device like this.
We've seen headphones that try to measure your brain waves before — the Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro from Neurable — but those are designed mostly to help you focus and aim to tell you when you're getting fatigued mentally and need a break. The Naqi Neural Earbuds are much more ambitious.
Naqi says that its neural earbuds could be used to command, control and navigate everything from computers and smart home devices to robots and wheelchairs — all without touch, screens or even your voice.
For Naqi Logix, bringing these earbuds (or earbud) to market will be tricky. The company hasn't settled on a price yet, but I would not be surprised if they cost $1,000 or more. But if they work as promised, the Naqi Neural Earbuds could be a very compelling alternative to brain implants.
