“The luxury industry still has the same questions about the customer experience. How to understand the emotions generated by the products? How to optimise their emotional impact?” explains Othman Chiheb, Marketing Director of Human Augmented Brain Systems (HABS).
The startup offers innovative solutions based on the decoding of brain waves. Perfume brands and companies are showing particular interest. In 2024, for Le Coq Sportif’s perfume collection highlighting the colours of the French flag, the group Extend Beauty chose this new technology to design Bleu Optimisme, Rouge Énergie and Blanc Relax with Robertet.
‘Gaining time, convenience and accuracy’
The HABS technology processes the signals captured by electroencephalogram (EEG) to extract specific neuromarkers in real time, i.e. brain signatures associated with emotions like pleasure, attention, or confusion. Using the Valence-Arousal matrix, HABS provides a detailed analysis of the brain activity with only six EEG sensors, compared to several dozens with traditional approaches. “As a matter of fact, one of the strengths of this technology lies in its ability to operate with an extremely light configuration, so it offers a considerable gain in time and convenience,” emphasises Chiheb. “At VivaTech, we will unveil the new version of the Neoxa integrated sensor, which also incorporates our AI engine directly into the device.”
The idea is to make it easier to measure emotions that consumers cannot always express. “We offer a full service, both during the R&D phase and as part of retail tests, to help consumers make purchase decisions when they hesitate,” explains Olivier Locufier, HABS’ founder. That is why a “cognitive persona” is generated. This typical brain profile corresponds to the emotions that brands try to create. Then, it is compared with the responses of the people tested.
Emotional ‘signatures’
“We offer an emotional certification solution,” says the founder. “Standard EEGs map the areas that receive the brain waves. For example, the frontal lobe is mainly associated with joy. The problem is, other thoughts transported to this lobe can distort this interpretation.”
HABS has designed a different approach based on a system of signatures associated with each emotion. “Rather than using a predictive system, we search for the presence of these signatures in the brain. The sensor detects the neuromarkers corresponding to each emotion.”
Cognitive AI analyses the emotional data collected by the sensor, and works jointly with a federated AI, which screens the history of the anonymised cognitive persona. These back-and-forth moves help recognise neuromarkers with accuracy. “We can now issue an emotional certificate for the perfume, and not only a raw material or a chord,” says Locufier. “In addition, we can integrate our understanding of responses to the perfume development phase.”
Data anonymisation
“When a tester discovers a new fragrance, we analyse their brain waves in real time to better understand the emotions they feel,” adds the founder. Each test makes it possible to create a mathematical model of the emotional response that is specific to the individual and fully anonymised. The model is analysed with a federated AI, ensuring a high level of confidentiality and strict respect for privacy. HABS does not store any raw brain data. “Only abstract, non-identifying representations are used to ethically and securely enhance the accuracy of our neuromarkers.”
Only the metadata is saved (age, location, perfume usage patterns, niche preference or not) to provide a relevant framework for a study. “All the data on brain waves is anonymised, securely crypted and stored in compliance with global standards on data protection (GDPR EU 2016/679),” claims the company on its website. Furthermore, HABS offers specific equipment so that personal data is not stored in a server, as is the case with most EEGs.
A broad spectrum of applications
HABS’s founder is an expert in signal processing, encryption and biometric technologies. Founded in 2023, the company targets three markets: cybersecurity (brain-key-based authentication), mobility (road safety), and luxury (product design and development). The HABS operating system is functional and can detect several types of neuromarkers: 12 human emotions, intentions, both positive and negative, pain, alcohol or drug levels, fatigue, and focus. It can be applied to anything that is perceived with the five senses (perfumes, video, music, cockpit design...).
