These over-the-ear headphones supposedly deliver tiny electrical impulses directly to the motor cortex, the area of your brain that controls body movement, putting those brain cells in a state of hyperplasticity; basically, it’ll make your brain temporarily more receptive to learning physical movement. This may sound like science-fiction, but the technology backing up these claims is grounded in actual research and real-world trials. Halo Neuroscience cites multiple studies and trials asserting that groups training while using the Halo Sport showed measurable improvement in strength, reaction times, and precision of movements versus control groups who trained without.
The headphones do play music too, and you can plug them into any audio device using the included flat audio cable with in-line mic. You won’t be able to listen to music wirelessly, however, since the built-in Bluetooth connection is used exclusively for pairing the neuroprimers to the Halo Sport app on your smartphone or mobile device.
During the 20-minute neuropriming sessions, the electric pulses from the primers feel prickly right where they touch your skin. Depending on the amplitude you choose it can feel very mild or sting quite a bit. It’s not painful per se, but it does take some getting used. The higher you set the amplitude, the more you’ll feel the pinpricks, so start at 1 and work your way up to 10, if you can take it. The priming effect is supposedly the same, no matter which amplitude you choose, begging the question of what amplitude really does. Halo recommends that you do light stretching, warm ups, or the less intense part of your workout during the priming session. Afterward, the neuroplastic effect lasts for about an hour, which is when you do the more intense part of your workout or training.
The Halo Sport headphones supercharge your brain to make you better at sports [Digital Trends]