I Measured My Brain Performance. Here's Why You Might Do the Same.

I'm sitting on a leather couch in an unassuming warehouse in Denver. There's a Ping-Pong table behind me, but I'm not at a party—I'm having my brain scanned.

- By Rob Schware

I'm wearing an impressive piece of tech called the WAVi headset. Shaped like a sleek bike helmet and designed by Italian firm Momo (known for its work with Ferrari, Ducati, and Logitech), the device fits comfortably atop my head while its network of 19 gray electrodes silently scan my brainwaves.

The WAVi helmet, created by engineer Ted Altshuler, astrophysicist Dave Oakley, and Crocs founder Scott Seamans, measures brain reactivity, or a person's measured cognitive reaction to a stimulus. Brain reactivity is a good marker of how a person's brain is functioning in relation to aging, as well as after a concussion or other ailment.

Each time WAVi scans your brain, it spits out a snapshot of its reactivity. By doing multiple scans over a period of time (Oakley recommends anywhere from monthly to yearly), the device measures how positive changes—such as doing more cardio—improve brain performance.

I first heard about the WAVi helmet through a research project at the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, just down the street from where I live. Researchers were collecting data on brain functionality and tracking it over time. I wasn't accepted into the study but was invited to a demo of the device.