Understanding how the human mind handles attention, fatigue, and mental effort has long depended on intrusive methods like EEG and fNIRS, tools that are impractical for everyday, real-world settings. A new generation of technology is changing that by turning something as simple as the movement of our eyes into a continuous, non-invasive window into cognitive performance. By reading gaze patterns, pupil dilation, fixations, and rapid eye movements, it is now possible to measure cognitive load, attention, perception, and fatigue in real time, without wiring anyone up to a machine.
At the forefront of this shift is SOMAREALITY, a Vienna-based deep tech company founded in 2021 by Adrian Brodesser and Michel Varilek. The company has just raised over €3 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Catalyst Romania, with participation from MT-Lab, RDY Ventures, Moondust Ventures, and Gateway Ventures. SOMAREALITY's hardware-agnostic software integrates with existing eye-tracking equipment, runs a short calibration, and then translates raw gaze data into real-time digital biomarkers displayed through an intuitive dashboard. The technology is already being applied across healthcare, aviation, automotive, and research, offering a practical alternative to traditional neurophysiological methods. With this new funding, the team plans to scale its commercial operations, deepen its scientific research into cognitive health and human performance, and launch a consumer-facing product that brings cognitive measurement beyond the enterprise.
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