Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Name

Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Legal name

Center for Applied Brain & Cognitive Sciences

Website

https://centerforabcs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Medford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Government Funding: CABCS operates as a cooperative research center funded through research grants and collaborations with the U.S. Army. The center accepts proposals for interdisciplinary research projects aligned with defense science capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CABCS conducts applied research projects focused on measuring, predicting, and enhancing cognitive capabilities and human system interactions for individuals and teams operating in naturalistic high-stakes environments. Research is delivered through a portfolio of seven specialized laboratories covering immersive VR, electrical and magnetic neuromodulation, EEG, physical activity and brain monitoring, biosensing and predictive modeling, and tactical augmented reality. Projects are acquired exclusively through an annual invited RFP process and must include a collaborator from the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center.

Product overview

The Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences (CABCS) is a cooperative research initiative between Tufts University School of Engineering and the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, founded in 2015. The center operates as a consortium of specialized research laboratories focused on measuring, predicting, and enhancing cognitive capabilities and human system interactions. The portfolio includes seven distinct lab capabilities: the SUAVE Lab (virtual reality environments), Electrical Neuromodulation Lab, Magnetic Neuromodulation Lab, EEG Lab, PHAB Lab (physical activity and brain), BAM Lab (biosensing and modeling with RAMP-UP software), and STAR Lab (tactical augmented reality). Research focus areas span immersive ambulatory VR, human-robot teaming, individual and team performance optimization, predictive performance modeling, brain monitoring, neuromodulation technologies, exercise physiology, and biosensing. The center accepts invited interdisciplinary research proposals in areas including biosensing, neuromodulation for performance enhancement, and reality augmentation technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soldier and Small Unit Ambulatory Virtual Environments (SUAVE) Lab Three networked full field-of-view virtual reality systems used to engage people in high-fidelity multisensory environments and high-stakes tasks, enabling research on team-coordinated behavior, human-robot teaming, and human-systems integration. Available as a research capability for invited projects.
• Electrical Neuromodulation Lab High-definition low-current electrical brain stimulation capability using tDCS, tACS, tRNS, and CES with predictive current propagation models for targeting cortical and subcortical structures, including seated, wireless mobile, and simultaneous EEG recording configurations. Provided as a research capability to invited collaborators.
• Magnetic Neuromodulation Lab Transcranial magnetic stimulation research capability based on the Deymed DuoMag XT-100 TMS System supporting biphasic, repetitive, and burst pulse modes up to 100 Hz, combined with Brainsight neuronavigation and North Digital Polaris Vicra optical imaging for high-resolution targeted brain stimulation. Available as a research capability to invited collaborators.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) Lab BioSemi ActiveTwo Biopotential Measurement System recording up to 72 EEG electrodes alongside electro-dermal activity, respiration rate, skin temperature, plethysmography, EMG, and ECG, with integrated SR Research Eyelink 1000 eye tracking. Provided as a research capability to invited collaborators.
• Physical Activity and Brain (PHAB) Lab Laboratory for cortical hemodynamic and behavioral monitoring during physical exertion, equipped with dual COSMED treadmills, a recumbent ergometer, physiological monitoring (heart rate, HRV, respiration rate, impedance cardiography), and fNIRS devices from NIRx and Artinis. Available as a research capability to invited collaborators.
• Biosensing and Modeling (BAM) Lab Biosensing capabilities with algorithms for cognitive and physical performance prediction, featuring the RAMP-UP (Readiness Assessment and Model Predictions for Unit Performance) software suite. Available as a research capability to invited collaborators.
• Soldier Tactical Augmented Reality (STAR) Lab Nearly 1,000-square-foot facility combining mixed and virtual reality with an Infinadeck omnidirectional treadmill and real-world ambulation space, used to develop, test, and evaluate next-generation reality augmentation technologies. Available as a research capability to invited collaborators.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tufts University School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding academic partner and co-manager of CABCS. Provides interdisciplinary research community of scientists and engineers, academic infrastructure, and institutional affiliation for the research center.
• U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding defense partner and co-manager of CABCS. Located in Natick, MA. Provides defense science expertise, real-world military application context, and collaboration requirements for research proposals.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Battelle: Large applied science and technology R&D organization with deep DoD and federal customer relationships across human-performance, biomedical, and sensor domains. Comparable in R&D-for-defense orientation, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio than CABCS.
• Leidos: Major defense contractor with an active human-systems, cognitive science, and soldier-performance research portfolio serving Army, SOCOM, and DARPA. Indirectly competes for the same federal human-performance research dollars CABCS pursues, but with vastly larger scale and productized offerings.
• Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI): University-affiliated (Georgia Tech) applied research organization that conducts sponsored research for the DoD, including human-performance and sensor work. Comparable in structure (university-affiliated defense research) but operates at significantly larger scale across many domains beyond cognitive science.
• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by MIT that conducts defense-relevant research including human-systems work. Closely comparable in the Tufts/DEVCOM cooperative model and Northeast US footprint, but at vastly larger scale and broader mission.
• DCS Corp: Defense contractor providing scientific and engineering services to Army and DoD customers, including human factors and cognitive performance research. Competes for overlapping DEVCOM-funded research scope, but as a much larger, multi-domain government services company.

Direct peers

• Soar Technology (SoarTech): Defense-focused cognitive systems company developing AI and human-autonomy teaming solutions for Army and DoD customers. Overlaps with CABCS's research areas in cognitive modeling, training, and human-AI teaming under DEVCOM-style program funding.
• Aptima, Inc. Private R&D company focused on human performance optimization, team cognition, and human-machine teaming for DoD clients. Directly competes for similar defense human-systems research dollars and pursues adjacent topics (team coordination, training analytics) to CABCS.
• Charles River Analytics: R&D company specializing in human-machine teaming, cognitive science, and AI for DoD and intelligence customers. Comparable in targeting similar Army/DoD cognitive science research contracts, though structured as a private company rather than a university-affiliated center.
• Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (MIT): MIT-based university-affiliated U.S. Army research center focused on soldier-protective and soldier-performance technology. Closely mirrors CABCS's model of a Tufts+DEVCOM partnership, operating as an interdisciplinary Army-funded research consortium embedded in a top engineering school.
• Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (UCSB): UCSB-led Army Research Laboratory (ARL) collaborative research alliance, funded by DEVCOM/ARL. Same university + Army cooperative research structure as CABCS, with interdisciplinary science focused on bio-inspired tech, sensors, and cognitive/biological applications relevant to defense.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences