AI company Zeto has teamed up with Firefly Neuroscience to distribute Zeto’s US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets.
Under the deal, Firefly is now a non-exclusive distributor for Zeto’s pair of EEG headsets, dubbed WR19 and Zeto ONE. The collaboration also includes the integration of Firefly’s proprietary Brain Network Analytics (BNA) technology with the EEG platforms, which Firefly say are used in more than 200 hospitals and neurology offices across the US.
Zeto ONE consists of a headset with 21 soft-tip electrodes positioned according to the 10-20 EEG system – an internationally recognised method that allows EEG electrode placement to be standardised. According to the company, it requires minimal training and captures patient video and audio, offering live AI-enabled seizure notifications. Data is streamed to the Zeto Cloud allowing live remote interpretations by neurologists.
Approved for use by the FDA in 2020, the WR19 is a wireless dry-electrode EEG headset that uses soft gel-tip electrodes, which do not require skin preparation or electrode paste, are dry to the touch, and leave no residue, as per a clinical validation paper. The clearance was supported by three clinical studies across 50 subjects that showed signal quality is on par with FDA-cleared traditional EEG systems.
EEGs are medical tests used to measure the electrical activity of the brain. It can help to diagnose several conditions, including epilepsy, sleep disorders and brain tumours.
Zeto isn’t the only company in the space combining AI with EEGs. In July 2024, California-headquartered company Ceribell shared data highlighting that its AI-assisted EEG system reduces the stay in ICU and leads to fewer patients leaving with disabilities, compared to standard EEG. The system first won clearance from the FDA in 2017 and is commercially available in the US.
AI in the medical devices industry is set for rapid growth. According to a report on GlobalData’s Medical Intelligence Center, the AI in the medical market was worth $336m in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.1% to $1.2bn by 2027.
Firefly CEO Jon Olsen said: "This collaboration of two progressive technology companies represents a major step forward in addressing an unmet medical need in brain health. By combining Zeto’s innovative hardware with our proprietary BNA technology, this partnership will offer healthcare providers deeper insights into neurological conditions that will ultimately improve patient outcomes.”
