Lowe Profero launches The Creativity Helmet

The technology team at Lowe Profero have invented a tool that could take the subjectivity out of creativity. And it could possibly eliminate the need for Creative Directors as well.

The Creativity Helmet™ measures temperature, pulse rate and changes in your brain activity to try and capture what is known as the "brain blink,” a term coined by cognitive scientists John Kouniosand and Mark Beeman in the 1990s.

The “brain blink” is the pivotal instant that your brain turns inward just before the "aha!" moment. This is marked by a period of inactivity, almost shutting down as you focus on the idea, to a mass of rapid neural activation as you start to explore the idea in more detail.

The Creativity Helmet will be able to measure whether an idea follows this flurry of brain activity – and objectively judge whether it is a ‘good’ idea worth following up.

In its prototype phase at the moment, the hat uses similar technology to choosemuse.com - utilising sensors all over the head and neck, plus a reactive light which changes colour depending on the measurements.

A blue light signals normal activity, a dimming of the light signifies the brain focusing or ‘shutting down’ and the green light indicates a flurry of activity immediately after, or a brilliant idea. A red light signals a lack of activity after the idea, or a bad idea.

The team hopes that the hat will get rid of the painful process of working through bad ideas, by fishing out the best ones from the start. “If someone comes up with an idea and the light turns green, then we know we can go for it! If it’s red, then it’s in the bin. It’s going to save so much time!” said David Felton, junior copywriter.