Orbityl is a Vancouver, B.C.-based startup that is partnering with a headphone manufacturer to make earbuds which sense and monitor brain activity from inside the ear, including detecting whether the user is asleep. The sensors also use machine learning to track and quantify mental states. Orbityl's non-invasive device is easier to use than traditional EEG systems that require attaching electrodes and wires, which may help in sleep monitoring and research. Orbityl launched two years ago and is working out of the VentureLabs accelerator program at Simon Fraser University. The company's first patent application published in June, and is classified as a Sensor-Electrical in the Consumer Sleep sector.

Orbityl's goal is to create a brain-computer interface. The company faces competition from Facebook and Elon Musk's Neuralink. The practicality of Orbityl's design may make it an attractive acquisition from a larger company interested in the space.