Fnir Devices

What Fnir Devices does

fNIR Devices, LLC is a privately-held US company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Potomac, Maryland, with technical development and manufacturing in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The company designs, manufactures, and sells portable Continuous Wave functional near-infrared (fNIR) spectroscopy imaging systems used to monitor brain hemodynamics and cognitive state in natural, non-laboratory environments, positioning itself as a lower-cost, field-deployable alternative to fMRI and PET. Its portfolio is organized into Basic, Premium, and Advanced tiers (Basic: fNIR103S/M/P/C/E; Premium: 2000S/M/W/C/E; Advanced: fNIR303S/M, fNIR203S/M/C) covering 6 to 54 optodes per sensor, including wireless (Model 1100W, 2000W) and pediatric configurations. Supporting software includes COBI data acquisition and the fNIRSoft Pro/SD/Edu analysis suite, with proprietary systemic artifact-removal tooling.

The company monetizes through direct hardware sales (configurable systems at tiered price points), one-time software licenses (fNIRSoft), and professional services — on-site training and post-hoc data analysis contracts typically covering batches of ~10 test subjects. End-customers are academic and clinical research institutions, primarily in the United States, with applications spanning cognitive workload assessment (air traffic controllers, UAV ground operators), neuro-marketing, brain-computer interface development, depth-of-anesthesia monitoring, and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Marketing channels rely on academic conference presence (SfN, OHBM, HCI International), the company publications page, and a blog — distribution is described as global direct sales via the website.

Core fNIR technology is licensed from Prof. Chance (who developed it via his prior company NIM from 1996 to 2009) and from Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering, with which the firm has collaborated since 1999. Leadership comprises CEO and board member Davood Tashayyod alongside board members Banu Onaran and Peter Chance (the technical founder). The company has shipped 60+ systems to research customers, mainly within the United States, since inception.

Name

Fnir Devices

Legal name

fNIR Devices, LLC

Website

https://fnirdevices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

fNIR Devices, LLC manufactures portable Continuous Wave functional near-infrared (fNIR) spectroscopy imaging systems for academic, clinical, and human-performance brain research. It sells tiered hardware (Basic, Premium, Advanced) plus fNIRSoft analysis software and training/data analysis services to universities and research institutions, primarily in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brain Imaging Systems

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Orchestration & Imaging Analytics Platforms (Model Management/Triage) (HLACALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
• Brain imaging hardware
• Neuroimaging research tools
• Cognitive workload monitoring
• Portable brain imaging systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Potomac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. fNIR Imaging Hardware Systems: Sale of Continuous Wave fNIR imaging systems including imagers, sensors, and accessories. Products sold in configurable base systems at different tiers (Basic, Premium, Advanced) with various channel counts and specifications.
2. Software Licenses: fNIRSoft Pro and fNIRSoft SD software packages sold with systems for data analysis and processing.
3. Training Services: On-site support and training services for system setup, sensor placement, calibration, and data collection.
4. Data Analysis Services: Post-processing and event-related analysis services to process recorded raw data. Service contracts cover batches of test subjects/patients data.
5. Peripherals and Accessories: Sale of peripheral equipment and sensor upgrades for system expansion.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

fNIR Devices manufactures and sells portable Continuous Wave Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIR) imaging systems, including optode-based imagers, sensors, and peripherals, bundled with proprietary data acquisition (COBI) and analysis (fNIRSoft) software. The company supplies configurable hardware systems (Basic, Premium, Advanced tiers) to research institutions, universities, and clinical research groups for monitoring brain hemodynamics and cognitive state in natural, non-laboratory environments. Supporting offerings include on-site training services and post-processing data analysis services.

Product overview

fNIR Devices offers a portfolio of Continuous Wave Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIR) imaging systems for research applications. The product line includes three tiers: Basic Systems (fNIR103S, fNIR103M, fNIR103P, fNIR103C, fNIR103E) with imagers ranging from 54 to 6 optodes; Premium Systems (FNIR2000S, FNIR2000M, FNIR2000W, FNIR2000C, FNIR2000E) offering wireless capabilities at various configurations; and Advanced Systems (fNIR303S, fNIR303M, fNIR203S, fNIR203M, fNIR203C) with enhanced components including racks, additional computers, and phantom calibration tools. The 18-optode sensor weighs approximately one ounce with the battery placed off the head for comfort. Supporting software includes COBI data acquisition software (included with all offerings), fNIRSoft Pro/SD/Edu for analysis, and MazeSuite for spatial navigation studies. Services include on-site training and data analysis support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2000 S (fNIR103S) Basic System 54-optode Continuous Wave fNIR imager base system operating at 10 Hz, including 2SH sensors, 3x 2000HD sensors, and fNIRSoft Pro software; designed for research institutions conducting adult prefrontal cortex brain imaging studies.
• 2000 M (fNIR2000M) Premium System 18-optode Continuous Wave fNIR imager operating at 10 Hz with wireless capability for real-time monitoring of brain oxygenation changes; targeted at mobile and field research applications.
• 2000 C (fNIR103C) Advanced System 18-optode Continuous Wave fNIR imager operating at 5 Hz for continuous wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy brain imaging; part of the advanced research system tier.
• 2000 E (fNIR103E) Compact System 6-optode Continuous Wave fNIR imager operating at 2 Hz; a more compact configuration designed for specific research applications requiring fewer measurement channels.
• fNIR2000W Wireless System 4-optode wireless Continuous Wave fNIR imager at 4 Hz, equivalent to Model 1200 Wireless, designed for mobile and field-based research applications where tether-free operation is required.
• fNIRSoft Pro Analysis Software Advanced analysis software enabling post-processing and event-related analysis of recorded fNIR data without requiring programming; sold with hardware systems for research data analysis.
• fNIRSoft SD Analysis Software Standard definition version of fNIR analysis software for data processing, sold with systems such as the pediatric probe configuration for research data analysis.
• fNIRSoft Edu Analysis Software Education-focused version of fNIR analysis software tailored for academic teaching environments and educational research use.
• COBI Data Acquisition Software Data acquisition software included with all fNIR Devices offerings, enabling data and event marker recordings for real-time monitoring during research sessions.
• MazeSuite Navigation Software Navigation software for spatial cognition studies, used alongside fNIR imagers to support brain imaging research involving spatial navigation tasks.
• Training Services On-site training and support covering device setup, sensor placement, calibration, baseline recording, time synchronization, data recording, and real-time data viewing for fNIR imaging systems.
• Data Analysis Services Post-processing and event-related analysis service to process recorded raw fNIR data, typically covering the first group of 10 test subjects/patients with extension options for additional cohorts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive correlation between participant performance and fNIR responses as a function of task load demonstrated in multiple studies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Drexel UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2009Technologies licensed from Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering. The university has collaborated with the company since 1999 on developing wearable optical systems for PFC fNIR measurements. Drexel team developed clinical applications including depth of anesthesia monitoring, Brain Computer Interface, and TBI rehabilitation, as well as human-performance applications.
• Prof. ChancecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 August 2009Technologies licensed from Prof. Chance who developed and tested Continuous Wave imaging devices for prefrontal cortex and muscle since 1996. His previous company NIM (Near Infrared Monitoring) operated between 1996 and 2009, selling approximately 20 LED imager devices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ANT Neuro: Netherlands-based supplier of EEG and integrated EEG-fNIRS research systems to academic and clinical neuroscience labs; overlaps with fNIR Devices' academic research customer base and physiological imaging offerings.
• Biopac Systems: US-based manufacturer of physiological measurement instruments and software (AcqKnowledge) used in research labs; competes for research equipment budgets at the same universities fNIR Devices serves.
• Artinis Medical Systems: Netherlands-based maker of portable NIRS devices (PortaLite, Brite series) for brain and muscle oxygenation research; sells into the same academic and clinical research buyers as fNIR Devices.
• NIRx Medizintechnik: Berlin-based manufacturer of portable fNIRS systems (NIRScout, NIRSport) for neuroscience research; closest direct competitor in the same product category and customer base as fNIR Devices.

Broad incumbents

• Compumedics Neuroscan: Australian-owned EEG and PSG systems company with installed base in clinical and research neurology; competes indirectly for the same neuroscience research lab budgets as fNIR Devices.
• Brain Products GmbH: Germany-based manufacturer of EEG and multimodal brain physiology research systems; serves similar neuroscience research buyers with overlapping use cases in cognitive workload and BCI research.
• Hitachi: Japanese conglomerate whose medical systems division previously produced the ETG series fNIRS scanners for clinical and research use; a large, established player in the same imaging modality with much broader portfolio scale.

Emerging players

• g.tec medical engineering: Austria-based producer of BCI research systems and brain physiology hardware; overlaps with fNIR Devices in the BCI, cognitive neuroscience, and human-performance research verticals.
• Emotiv: US-based developer of consumer and research-grade EEG headsets and brain-monitoring software; targets adjacent use cases (BCI, cognitive assessment, neuromarketing) that overlap with fNIR Devices' customer applications.
• OBELAB: Korean manufacturer of the LIGHTNIRS wearable fNIRS system; competes in the same portable brain imaging category but with a more limited global install base than fNIR Devices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fnir-devices-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fnir Devices