Encap Neuroscience

Soft technology. Additive manufacturing. Parametric design.

Encap Neuroscience is developing a brain-computer interface that uses patient-specific signals to rewire the brain and help it heal. Encap is partnering with psychiatrists to treat the 2 million Australians diagnosed with depression. Pharmaceutical treatments are not enough: most patients don’t respond; few get better; but all suffer the side-effects. Encap Neuroscience and D+I are on a mission to provide a wearable alternative which has the potential to be the most effective mental health treatment in history, and will be the first non-invasive operating system for the brain. In 2018, Encap joined the Remarkable Accelerator Program made possible by Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Remarkable is focused on developing startups by leveraging technological innovation through a 16-week program to enable human potential and drive an inclusive future.

Anti-depressants are easily accessible, yet their positive effectiveness rate sits at around 12% for patients. Neuromodulation has been proven as far more effective than anti-depressant medications, though, it is primarily only offered as a second line treatment because of how inaccessible the technology is at this time. Currently, patients are required to visit a clinic for a 45-minute session of stimulation, each day, over a treatment schedule spanning many weeks.

What if the barrier to accessing digital therapies was removed with a prescribed home-based wearable solution?

Encap Neuroscience approached D+I with a vision to develop of platform in which digital therapies are offered as first-line treatments for disorders like depression, anxiety, ADHD and addiction. Treatments should be customisable to patients, with new treatments and improvements delivered straight to the Encap Neuroscience Numbray platform via simple software updates. The Numbray concept is envisioned as the world’s first home-based neuromodulation device and ecosystem. The Numbray venture fuses cutting edge neuroscience and advanced manufacturing techniques to envision a device that is both effective and comfortable. Numbray utilises a high-definition bespoke array of sensors to send and receiving signals in real-time to fine-tune the patients brain waves based on clinical prescription.