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Ashton Kutcher recently tweeted about Muse, a “brain sensing headband.” What’s the deal with the Muse headband, and what exactly is Kutcher’s relationship to the company? Read on to learn more.
1. Ashton Kutcher Tweeted About Muse
Day 1 with @ChooseMuse . Excited to learn from this incredible technology. http://t.co/XTd78ByMtx pic.twitter.com/KweXLy8ZJG
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) July 22, 2014
On July 22, Ashton Kutcher shared the tweet above. It promotes Muse, a “brain sensing headband” that’s basically a personal EEG machine. Here’s how the Muse website describes this product:
“It’s a brain fitness tool that helps you learn how to manage stress, stay calm, stay focused and do more with your mind. Muse helps improve your wellbeing by reducing stress, known to have a negative impact on physical, emotional and cognitive health.”
The device pairs with your smartphone, allowing you to see a readout of your stress levels.
2. Ashton’s Tweet Contained a Photoshopped Image
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Valley Wag writes that the image Ashton Kutcher shared in that tweet appeared to be photoshopped to include his name:
“Our esteemed art director Jim Cooke could not say with 100 percent certainty that the image was doctored, but he did point out that by brightening the exposure, one can clearly see the letters [in Kutcher’s name] ‘going over the headphones, or whatever those are.'”
Valley Wag goes on to reveal that Kutcher likely photoshopped the image. Valley Wag quotes Jocelyn Umengan, senior manager of PR & Events at InteraXon (the maker of the Muse device), who said the photo Kutcher tweeted “was all Ashton’s initiative.” Umengan added: “We had nothing to do with the image.”
Valley Wag argues:
“Pimping a product is the raison d’etre for celebrity startup investors. But couldn’t Ashton fulfill his business contribution without scrawling his name on the ‘brain computer interface’ like it was a 4th grade lunch box?”
3. Muse Costs $299
Learn more about Muse in the video above.
Fortune notes that this high-tech headband retails for $299. As of February, the company has raised $7.5 million, a small portion of which came from an IndieGoGo campaign.
Fans of Kutcher’s CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men might recall how the show made references to a company resembling InteraXon in one episode. That episode, “Baseball. Boobs. Boobs. Baseball,” featured Kutcher wearing a high-tech headband in the bedroom.
4. Ashton Kutcher Has Multiple Links to the Tech World
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In addition to playing Steve Jobs on the big screen, Kutcher has a variety of other links to the tech industry. He has been a spokesman for Lenovo and Nikon. Additionally, he has also invested in Vicarious AI, a secretive AI company. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have also invested in the company.
5. Muse Headband Has Gotten Positive Reviews
Check out CNET’s video about Muse above.
VentureBeat presented a very positive review of the Muse band, calling the device “the most important wearable of 2014.”
The review stated, in part:
“The Muse is on track to becoming the first device to seamlessly quantifying how food, sleep, and exercise impacts our mind…
Eventually, Interaxon is going to have to find a more socially acceptable form factor. Even though it’s low-profile, wearing an electronic headband still elicits Google Glass-like stares from onlookers. Eventually, they’ll need flesh-colored camouflage tape or something nearly invisible.
Either way, the Muse is the first device that has the potential to bring brain enhancement to the masses. And that makes it the most important wearable innovation on the market this year.”
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Ashton Kutcher & Muse: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know