Science & Technology
The Science Behind
Wearable Brain Imaging
fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) enables non-invasive, real-time measurement of brain activity — making neuroscience portable, wearable, and deployable in real-world environments.
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
fNIRS measures changes in oxygenated (HbO) and deoxygenated (HbR) hemoglobin concentrations in the brain’s cortex. It works by shining near-infrared light through the scalp and skull — tissue that is largely transparent to wavelengths between 700 and 900 nm.
When neurons become active, local cerebral blood flow increases — a process known as neurovascular coupling. The resulting shifts in hemoglobin light absorption allow fNIRS to reconstruct hemodynamic responses tied to neural activity with good spatial specificity across the cortex.
Unlike fMRI, fNIRS requires no scanner and generates no magnetic field. Unlike EEG, it provides direct hemodynamic markers of cortical activation with good spatial precision. It is the functional neuroimaging modality that is simultaneously non-invasive, spatially resolved, and truly wearable.
How fNIRS Works
Research Applications
Understanding the Brain Drives
Progress Across All Fields
Brain imaging is foundational to research ranging from basic cognitive neuroscience to clinical diagnostics and human-computer interaction.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Study working memory, attention, language processing, and executive function in natural environments — not confined scanner rooms.
Clinical Diagnostics
Assess neurodevelopmental disorders, stroke recovery, neonatal brain health, and psychiatric conditions using objective cortical biomarkers.
Human Factors & HCI
Measure cognitive workload, mental fatigue, and stress responses during real-world tasks such as driving, piloting, or operating complex systems.
Mental Health Research
Track longitudinal prefrontal activity in naturalistic settings — enabling research into depression, anxiety, and stress previously confined to the lab.
Rehabilitation Science
Monitor cortical reorganization after stroke or TBI during motor training and speech therapy — directly in the rehabilitation environment.
Developmental Neuroscience
Study infant and pediatric brain development in naturalistic settings where conventional MRI is impractical due to movement sensitivity and noise.
The Challenge
Existing Methods Come with
Fundamental Trade-offs
High Resolution, Low Freedom
fMRI delivers excellent spatial resolution but requires a fixed, multi-ton scanner. Participants must remain motionless in a noisy, confined magnetic field — eliminating natural behavior entirely.
- Not portable or wearable
- Incompatible with natural movement
- Very high operational cost
- Expensive
High Temporal, Low Spatial Resolution
EEG captures electrical brain activity with millisecond precision and is wearable — but provides only imprecise spatial information about where in the brain activity originates.
- Poor source localization
- Highly sensitive to muscle artifacts
- No hemodynamic information
- Limited coverage in practice
Limited Channel Density
First-generation fNIRS devices offer limited channel counts, poor motion tolerance, and lack integrated short-separation channels needed to correct for systemic physiological interference.
- Sparse spatial coverage
- No short-channel correction
- High motion sensitivity
- Low signal quality
fNIRS is Ready for Real-World Neuroscience
For three decades, fNIRS was primarily a research tool. Recent advances in optoelectronics, wireless data transmission, and signal processing have transformed it into a viable platform for naturalistic neuroscience — studies conducted where human behavior actually occurs.
The transition from laboratory to real world opens new research paradigms: social neuroscience with hyperscanning, longitudinal monitoring in clinical settings, workplace cognition research, and brain-computer interfaces that operate during natural movement.
optohive Innovation
How optohive Advances fNIRS
The HiveOne integrates four engineering breakthroughs that together solve the core limitations of existing fNIRS hardware.
What Sets the HiveOne Apart
fNIRS Channels
Full cortical coverage in a single wearable cap
Short Channels for Every Source and Detector
Systemic noise regression from every measurement
IMU per Optode
Per-channel motion data for artifact correction
First
SIPMHigh-sensitivity Silicion Photomultipliers detectors (SiPM)
Developed at ETH Zurich
optohive was spun out of the Rehabilitation Lab at ETH Zurich — one of Europe’s leading research groups in motor neuroscience, brain-computer interfaces, and wearable neuroimaging. The HiveOne reflects more than a decade of fNIRS instrumentation research and real-world deployment.
- Co-Developped with University Hospital of Zurich
- 10+ years of fNIRS instrumentation development
- Active partnerships with leading neuroscience institutions
optohive's technology was recognized as a finalist of the Swiss Technology Award — Switzerland's most prestigious prize for innovative technology.
Bring fNIRS Into Your Research
The HiveOne is designed for researchers who need publication-quality brain imaging data without the constraints of a fixed laboratory.
