• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

This Headset Could Help Both Skiers and Stroke Victims Get Off the Charts Results

By
Lisa Fu
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lisa Fu
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 18, 2017, 7:37 PM ET

Imagine popping a pair of Beats-like headphones on your head, fiddling with some settings, and becoming a better skiier. Or, better yet for those who are injured, healthier. That’s the far-flung promise of Halo Neuroscience and its product that was on display during the Brainstorm Tech conference Tuesday.

Boasting more than 1,000 double-blind, randomized experiments using over 2,000 data points, doctor-turned-entrepreneur Daniel Chao, Halo’s founder and CEO, revealed his company’s latest product, Halo Sport, a $749 headset that accelerates movement-based learning by stimulating the motor cortex.

The headphone shaped device goes over the head and speeds up the brain’s natural ability to create new neural pathways, allowing humans to pick up physical skills faster. Built in “primers” act as electrodes and stimulate the brain, according to Chao.

And using it is as easy as sweating it out with some Spotify. “People know how to use headphones, and the motor cortex is just conveniently located on the top of the head,” Chao said.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

When developing the product, Chao, with an M.D. from Stanford and a solid background in neuroscience, took a scientific and data-based approach. And the results they have observed from athletes are more than just the placebo effect. After thousands of randomized, double-blinded experiments, Chao said he’s confident in what the product can do.

“The data is really really conclusive,” Chao said. “The results are very very clear.”

Chao said the device is still waiting for FDA approval, but the company envisions Halo Sport will be used in the medical field for rehabilitating stroke victims who often have to learn simple physical tasks all over again. Until then, the company works exclusively with the United States Olympic Ski team to help train athletes using Halo Sport.

But Chao said he looks at “athletes” more broadly than than football players and basketball stars. The company sets out to train anyone interested in movement based learning including pilots, the military and neurosurgeons. “We think of musicians as athletes,” Chao said. “We think of surgeons as athletes.”

About the Author
By Lisa Fu
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Meet a 55-year-old automotive technician in Arkansas who didn’t care if his kids went to college: ‘There are options’
By Muskaan ArshadDecember 21, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
A Walmart employee nearly doubled her pay after entering its pipeline for skilled tradespeople. 'I was able to move out of my parents' house'
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressDecember 20, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Multimillionaire musician Will.i.am says work-life balance is for people 'working on someone else’s dream'—he grinds from 5-to-9 after his 9-to-5
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 21, 2025
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
10 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Even if the Supreme Court rules Trump's global tariffs are illegal, refunds are unlikely because that would be 'very complicated,' Hassett says
By Jason MaDecember 21, 2025
13 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only ‘a matter of time’ before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 19, 2025
3 days ago

Latest in Tech

A Waymo robotaxi unable to detect traffic lights after a major power outage in San Francisco, California on December 20, 2025. (Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
What happened when Waymo robotaxis met a San Francisco blackout
By Andrew NuscaDecember 22, 2025
42 minutes ago
AIdesign thinking
A top global design alliance is embracing AI to ‘let designers focus more on empathy and creativity’
By Angelica AngDecember 22, 2025
3 hours ago
AIOpenAI
OpenAI sees better margins on business sales, report says
By Mark Bergen and BloombergDecember 21, 2025
12 hours ago
Innovationautonomy
Waymos froze, blocked traffic during San Francisco power outage
By Maria Paula Mijares Torres and BloombergDecember 21, 2025
12 hours ago
Successwork-life balance
Multimillionaire musician Will.i.am says work-life balance is for people ‘working on someone else’s dream’—he grinds from 5-to-9 after his 9-to-5
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 21, 2025
19 hours ago
Young banker
SuccessCareers
Is AI really killing finance and banking jobs? Experts say Wall Street’s layoffs may be more hype than takeover—for now
By Emma BurleighDecember 21, 2025
23 hours ago