Fat-Fighting Headset Launches On Indiegogo

British startup Neurovalens launches its fat-fighting headset on Indiegogo today and it’s looking to neuroscience to help the headgear do its magic.

So how does it work? Much like the Halo Sport and Thync neuroscience wearables we’ve covered before, the Modius headset is all about tapping into the part of the brain that is associated with and controls fat storage.

It uses low-power electrical pulses to stimulate the vestibular nerve, which runs to the brain from behind the ear.

By stimulating the vestibular system for 45 minutes per day, the brain then interprets the stimulation as the body being more physically active, triggering the brain to reduce fat storage.

This can in turn increase fat burning, decrease appetite and activate metabolic hormones.

Apparently the evidence that vestibular stimulation can reduce body fat has been around for years, but this is the first time you’ll be able to do it from a non-invasive wearable.

While that all sounds impressive, the question is whether it works. The startup, which was founded by neuroscientists Dr. Jason McKeown and Dr. Paul McGeoch, carried out research which showed that it does make a difference and found there was a reduction in body fat along with a change in metabolic hormones and a proportion of energy derived from fat metabolism.

“Within one hour, there was a significant change in both appetite and metabolic hormones insulin and leptin,” said chief science officer McGeoch.

“There was also a significant increase in the proportion of energy derived from fat metabolism. And over a 16-week period, with an average of three hours use per week, the average reduction in central body fat was 8%, with a range of 2-16%. These studies were carried out without changes in either diet or exercise.”

The Modius headset is available for pre-order now on Indiegogo and will be available to all in the autumn/fall. We’ll be trying it out in the coming months to see if it can really deliver.