Introducing OS 16

We are thrilled to release Neurosity OS 16.

Starting today, your Crown will automatically update to the latest operating system.

In this feature-packed release, we have rearchitected the OS from the ground up to add Bluetooth support, Wi-Fi 2.0, and improve overall system performance.

Starting today you can use the Neurosity Mobile app to Shift into Focus without an internet connection, we call this Offline Shifting. This feature opens up the Crown to many new environments without internet access such as the desert, mountains, or even outer space.

Wi-Fi 2.0

As we still believe Wi-Fi is the most robust way to stream data, we have completely redesigned the way to connect and manage your Crown’s internet access with Wi-Fi 2.0.

With Wi-Fi 2.0, connecting your Crown to the internet is 10x faster. This is possible because we are leveraging the new Bluetooth support to manage the OS’s network manager, something that wasn’t feasible before. Wi-Fi 2.0 brings the ability to save all your previously connected networks, forget any network and switch to a different network while still connected. This means more time to enjoy your Crown, and less time worrying about connectivity.

Other Wi-Fi 2.0 features include the ability to connect to a phone’s hotspot, and even connect to hidden networks by providing the SSID and password of the desired network. These features open up the different types of networks your Crown can connect to.

Dual Connectivity Mode

With Bluetooth support and better Wi-Fi, we have made it possible to use both modes simultaneously to guarantee 100% connectivity. We call this dual connectivity mode. Let’s say your Wi-Fi goes down due to a power outage. With dual connectivity mode, the Neurosity SDK will detect that Wi-Fi is offline and automatically switch over to Bluetooth for data streaming. In the same way, if your Crown went out of Bluetooth’s physical reach, Wi-Fi will automatically switch and ensure there are no data streaming interruptions. This feature makes the Crown the brain-computer interface with the most robust connectivity design ever.

Fine-tuned Performance

The Crown features a 1.8Gz CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of disk. We’ve optimized the runtime of the OS, and we are happy to announce: faster boot times, shutdown times, and longer streaming times. In this latest version of the OS, we’ve also managed to make the total size of the OS 2x smaller, making OS updates faster than iOS.

Privacy & Security

Traditional BCIs openly stream their data without protection. At Neurosity, we are committed to providing the most secure way to access your data. That’s why we have implemented state-of-the-art Encryption, Authentication, and Authorization to the Crown whether you are connected via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or both.

Why Bluetooth Now?

Neurosity has previously favored Wi-Fi over Bluetooth due to the limitations Bluetooth comes with. These include latency, bandwidth, and security. We have leveraged our OS’s Linux-based architecture to optimize and extend Bluetooth’s out-of-the-box features. For example, we have optimized Bluetooth settings for both latency and bandwidth to guarantee the delivery of every Bluetooth package. Additionally, we have designed a proprietary raw data codec that makes every packet 4x smaller. Lastly, we have designed a proprietary Authentication layer that plugs into Neurosity’s existing OAuth protocol. This means that Bluetooth access is only possible by the Crown’s owner. When using third-party apps, only metrics you have granted permission to will be accessible.

The OS of the mind

5 years ago, when Neurosity set out to build the most powerful and trusted brain-computer interface, we made the decision to create hardware with a new kind of operating system. An OS whose main purpose was to understand and treat different mental states. We engineered something that could update over the air and grow in functionality over time. This has enabled the Neurosity team to ship new features faster. We look forward to continuing to add new capabilities to the Crown and future new versions of the hardware.

We appreciate all the feedback our users have given us so far. Thank you for helping us make our product better.