Your gracious contributions will help us complete in-school testing in 2019 and push us closer to helping kids overcome attention challenges and realize their true potential.

If you are impacted by a youngster who struggles to pay attention, is demotivated and lacks confidence please support our campaign so we can bring our product to market.

Testing takes money and we can't do it alone. Please contribute.

Also check out our meaningful and fun perks!

Students deserve a ConfiBoost.

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Please read on to get all the information you need to know your investment will make a difference. Thanks!

Introducing ConfiBoost: Smart Eyewear that is designed to help students naturally strengthen attention and focus skills that are sustained after training. 

When the user loses focus, the lenses will occlude. The safe sensor rests on the forehead and monitors brain signal activity, looking for indicators of declining focus. When loss of concentration is detected the lenses darken for 2 seconds, this visual reminder nudges the student to pay attention while reading  and can have long-lasting results after a period of sustained training. 

"The last 4 years I've been on a mission to bring science, the scientific method and creativity and critical reasoning to the epidemic of attention-challenges that affect our schools. We have been successful in putting together a world-class team of teachers, neuroscientists, neurofeedback practitioners, engineers and marketers to construct an innovative patented solution we think will make a difference in the lives of many young people and equip them for fulfilling lives."

                                                      -Rod Greder, Founder & CEO of Awear Technologies

Please watch the following video to hear about what drove us to develop ConfiBoost eyewear to help kids struggling with attention challenges.

This self awareness helps strengthen their attention skills and this self control can be maintained.

Without attention there is no learning. No encoding, storage or retrieval. It is as simple as that!

Is there science and data behind the product?

Peer-reviewed studies have shown that neurocognitive training done in schools is effective and the results are maintained at least six months. [Steiner, N. J., Frenette, E. C., Rene K. M., Brennan, R. T., & Perrin, E. C. (2014). In-school neurofeedback training for ADHD: Sustained improvements from a randomized control trial. Pediatrics, 133(3), 483-492. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-2059. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24534402]

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) have provided strong support for the use of EEG-biofeedback to improve attention.  http://www.braintrainuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/How-AAP-reached-conclusion-other-recent-evidence-July-2013-V3.pdf 

NASA and the US military have been involved in the development and testing of EEG biofeedback. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) has tested the use of neurofeedback to improve marksmanship.  https://www.cwilsonmeloncelli.com/490-improveme... NASA has worked with startups to commercialize neurofeedback. https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2013/cg_2.html

We have data with a small sample of college students. We tested the prototype with eight average to above average students in 2017. We saw changes in reading scores with limited sessions. We need to repeat these trials with more subjects over a longer period of time to confirm results (especially with those struggling to pay attention). We also must begin testing of pre-adolescents which is where we think we can make the greatest impact in improving attention that leads to better learning outcomes like reading.

We measured brain signals that have been determined to relate to alertness, attention and focus. We've chosen key brain locations to monitor and we continue to analyze new signal patterns, locations and new hardware to maximize our accuracy in providing feedback. 

We  also asked the user to reflect and integrate during the darkening of the lenses. This reflection period has appeared to provide improvements in comprehension scores specifically when reading more difficult material. We are following up on this interesting finding.

How big is the need for this product?

Roughly 10 million students in elementary schools today could benefit from a cognitive training intervention to improve attention. Watch the following video to hear the stories of students, parents and teachers:

Cognitive training helps individuals develop better control over thoughts, actions, and behaviors, including self-control. Parents tend to look toward medication to alleviate ADHD symptoms, but this is not effective for 20-30% of users. When medication does work, it often comes with considerable side effects: nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, headaches, and more. Medications have no lasting results when you stop taking them. EEG-neurofeedback training builds the long-term skills that make it easier to pay attention in the future. 

Unlike brain training games, the eyewear helps the user develop skills during primary activities-- reading, listening, and studying. ConfiBoost targets the source of attention problems rather than just treating symptoms. Brain training games where you need to pay attention to changes on a screen have a major flaw— they don't readily translate to improved skills or learning capabilities. Although you get better at paying attention to the game, the brain pathways that control attention during reading, studying or listening to a teacher are little changed. Students benefit more from training themselves in real-life situations.

How does it work?

It only takes one touch of a hot stove for you to learn not to do it. Feedback works!

While getting burned is a bit extreme, the feedback needs to be disruptive enough so that you notice and are motivated to change behaviors. ConfiBoost is an EEG device, meaning that it can detect brain electrical activity and follow brain signal patterns. When you lose focus, the lenses will darken, signaling the wearer to focus their attention. 

Behavioral science and learning theory show that learning is proportional to stimulus. When a person is too relaxed or too stressed, less learning occurs. ConfiBoost helps students stay at the right level of focus to learn in real-life situations.

See the graphic below to understand how the feedback works to get the student's attention, how they personally perceive it and react to it, how their brain is changing as they train and the learning outcomes that are expected.

The student will use the eyewear while reading for 10-20 minute sessions several times per week over 6-8 weeks. They are evaluated with comprehension/recall tests after each session. Standardized attention tests are also conducted.

Our wearable allows the student to work on strengthening attentional pathways while doing the task they want to improve. Neuropathways are most flexible in younger years, so school-aged kids can benefit the most from ConfiBoost. Staying focused actually becomes easier over time because students gradually build their attention skills and confidence.

Watch video to see real-time operation of the dashboard. Re-watch end of student and parents video above to see operation of glasses paired with the dashboard.

There are other EEG devices in the market, but ConfiBoost  is the only one that gives the wearer disruptive, visual feedback that literally and figuratively gets their attention. 

Has the technology been reviewed and supported?

Awear Technologies has received grants from several government funding agencies in the past: NIH (National Institute of Health), NSF (National Science Foundation) and the Department of Education. This funding has gone towards ConfiBoost prototype development and early pilot studies.

Has the product gained awareness and been recognized?

Awear has received awards for its product! We were honored as a Visionary Finalist in the Intel Make it Wearable Challenge in 2014. Awear was also an award recipient in Minnesota’s Tekne Awards, a finalist in the Minnesota Cup, a finalist in the Software and Information Industry Association Innovator Competition and won the ACT award at the 2017 Milken-Penn Graduate School of Education EdTech competition. The founder, Dr. Greder, has also been awarded an Initiator Fellowship from the Initiative Foundation.

We have been featured in numerous publications, including the  Minneapolis Star Tribune, St Paul Pioneer Press, IQ Magazine, TECH dot MN, and Twin Cities Business. 

What's next?

In order to help students catch up and get ahead, we need your help. We have been developing the product for the past several years, but need your support in order to develop and produce our final design and conduct in-school testing.

Our campaign goal is $50k, and any amount helps!

Even if you are unable to donate, please click 'Share' and spread the word about ConfiBoost!

We aren't yet selling our product, but are making strides towards our first production run, planned for next year.

We want to launch ConfiBoost in 2019/20, but need additional funding to stay on schedule.

How will the money be invested?

We will use the investment to:

• conduct in-school trials at two charter schools in Minnesota in 2019. (50%)
• continue development of our software interface. (20%)
• continue usability testing to ensure comfort, fit and effectiveness. (20%)
• begin planning for scale up and production. (10%)

Our stretch goal of $150k will let us validate our hardware and software and begin final design work for the production model and to do more in-school testing.

We are committed to having solid verifiable evidence that we can make a difference in kid's lives!           

We appreciate your support! Thank you for your commitment to improving student learning in a safe and effective way.   

Who's on the team?

Our team has a long record of success in product development, marketing and commercialization. We've also partnered with many universities and other organizations 

Rod Greder, Ph.D – Founder/CEO - In addition to a 25 year career in product development and marketing, Rod is a teacher who is passionate about helping kids excel in school.  His industry experience includes new product discovery, development and deployment, technology licensing and executive management with life science businesses. It is his 15 years of teaching experience that led Dr. Greder to start Awear Technologies with the goal of helping students improve their cognitive skill gaps to improve classroom behaviors and accelerate learning outcomes.

Steve Mesmer, COO, Steve has over 20 years of direct experience designing, developing, and deploying effective educational technology applications including integrated learning systems, assessment systems, and data and reporting applications for application in K-12 classrooms. With a rigorous background in pedagogy, user-centered design, pilot testing, product research, and learning theory, Mr. Mesmer has served in a variety of executive positions with large-scale education publishers and was responsible for numerous successful product deployments.

Gary Jader, MBA – VP, Marketing & Business Development - Gary Jader is an experienced product tinkerer and clinician who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people. Extensive career in healthcare.Taught for the past decade, been a board member of one of top performing high schools in MN. Gary has experienced firsthand the struggles of poor attentiveness with his two sons being diagnosed with ADHD. Gary shares his story in our video.

George Martin, Licensed Psychologist, has used neurofeedback in his clinic since 1997. He has a strong commitment to developing and providing high quality mental health services for adults, children and families.  He has consulted with many organizations on EEG hardware and software projects and be involved in test design and analysis.

Art Felgate, Engineer AWEAR is an inventor and electronic product developer with 25 years of experience in industries including biomedical, Internet-of-Things, intelligent transportation, remote monitoring, data storage, fiber optic communications, and consumer. He has held professional roles as an engineer, product manager, and sales engineer. In addition, Art has been a founding or early member of startup companies based upon products he has developed. 

We've also been fortunate to have many interns from the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State that have contributed greatly.

Risk or Challenges?

We could run into hardware or software challenges but we are utilizing proven technology and deploying a standard format for software development. Our team has experience in these areas and has access to world-class expertise. We are using best practices to complete hardware and software testing.

We also have a strong patent to protect our product and will use it to ensure our ability to compete.

Questions or Concerns?

Feel free to reach out to our team via Indiegogo, our website or direct email: 

Awear Technologies Website: www.AwearTechnologies.net/contact
Awear Technologies Email: rod@aweartechnologies.net

If you know others that would be willing to support our campaign to help kids improve learning outcomes, please help spread the word via our social media connections:

Awear Technologies at Facebook: facebook.com/aweartech
Awear Technologies at Twitter: twitter.com/AwearTech
Awear Technologies at YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCAeFJL9G-uWBoGDz9ww4heQ
Awear Technologies at LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rodgreder

Thank you!