Durham company develops game-based training system to help kids, adults focus

A downtown Durham startup has developed a game-based attention training system that new research says helps kids boost their focus and self control.

NeuroPlus uses neurofeedback, biofeedback and cognitive training to help players improve their focus, control their movement and relax. While it's designed for anybody - primarily ages 5 and up - it could have applications for those with ADHD, autism, traumatic brain injuries, early stage cognitive dementia and other disorders that make it difficult to concentrate.

For Jake Stauch, founder and CEO of NeuroPlus, the study results are vital as he builds the company, which has received both venture capital and substantial support through online crowdfunding campaigns.

"There's a lot of pseudoscience out there," Stauch said. "One of the things that was important to us was to be an evidence-based company and to be focused on the research."

Stauch has been at work for several years to develop the technology behind NeuroPlus. He started in 2012, using brain scans to see how people paid attention to television commercials. At the same time, he was getting substantial interest from parents, who wanted to use it with their kids to see if they are paying attention. So Stauch decided to take a look, developing what he calls a brain-controlled video game that kids and adults can play.

Here's how NeuroPlus works: Users wear a state-of-the-art headset that measures brain activity, body movement and muscle tension and sends that information to a tablet or mobile device with the downloaded training video game. The game is available for either iOS or Android.

While playing the game, said Stauch, players are challenged to focus, which the technology measures by brain activity; sit still, which is measured by movement; and relax, which is measured by facial muscle tension.

The more they focus, the faster their dragon can fly in the game or the farther ahead they can see in a tunnel, for instance. If they move around too much, their bike might crash or their boat might capsize.

"By training, we're giving kids an opportunity to practice these skills," he said. "If you practice something, you get better at it. If you practice paying attention, practice self control, you can improve your ability in everyday life."

NeuroPlus recommends playing the game for 20 minutes to 30 minutes, three times a week, to take advantage of the benefits. Parents and players can track their improvement over time through an online dashboard.

Right now, there are a couple of games available through the platform. Axon, for instance, requires players to focus and to remain as still as possible to help a dragon stay airborne to defend a town from such threats as marauding monsters. A third game, Calypso, will be released in the next few weeks.

Stauch said the company is working to add more games to its offerings.

"The content is a good start, but we need to develop more and more to keep people engaged," he said.

So far, on IndieGogo, the company has received nearly $150,000 worth of pre-orders - reaching 140 percent of its original goal.

Stauch won't say he's surprised by the reception. After all, parents have been asking him for the technology for years and, like any successful entrepreneur, he's done his homework.

He will say, however, that he's happy.

"We built this because people asked us to build it," he said. "We were doing one thing and people kept saying, 'please make this.' We hoped that there would be this kind of response because we are building something to solve a real problem that people are having."