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Vielight Neuro vs PBM Helmets | The Engineering Advantage

As the original inventors of home-use brain photobiomodulation technology in 2014, we learned that effective brain photobiomodulation is difficult. Delivering the optimal amount of light energy into the brain in a safe and effective manner takes considerable research and engineering.

Here are the reasons behind the Neuro’s unique patented design.

  • The problems with standard PBM helmets
  • The engineering behind the Vielight Neuro
  • Full transcranial coverage with few highly-engineered Vie-LEDs
  • Published clinical research and irradiance comparisons
  • 810nm vs 1064 nm / 1070nm

The Problems with Helmets

Standalone transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) helmets are not optimized for brain photobiomodulation. 

 

Hair as a barrier

The inflexible dome-shape of PBM helmets does not part hair, causing maximal loss through hair absorption.

Helmets are inflexible

Because they are inflexible, they can’t accommodate variations in head sizes and shapes well, introducing distance and rapid energy loss through the inverse square law of light.

Helmets often use many weak, inefficient LEDs

Utilizing many weak LEDs generates a high total power but a weak irradiance. A weak irradiance means that the concentration of landed light energy that lands on the scalp is insufficient to penetrate.

Helmets trap heat – ventilation is an issue

The lack of ventilation in closed helmets leads to heat build up, leading to discomfort or the placebo effect.

The Vielight Neuro | Solving “Helmet” Problems

The Vielight Neuro’s is a modern near-infrared helmet with a unique patented intranasal-transcranial (itPBM) design.

The combined intranasal-transcranial technology approach enables NIR energy to be delivered to cortical and ventral brain structures.

A study by Baycrest Hospital with Vielight technology has shown the intranasal method to be 20x more effective than transcranial-only method

Vielight Neuro vs Standard Helmet Demo

 

Problem Vielight Solution
Transcranial-only approach cannot reach deep brain areas
Distance of NIR energy source from the scalp
  • Vie-LEDs are shaped to maximize contact with the scalp and minimize hair interference.
Insufficient irradiance
  • Vie-LEDs generate an industry-leading 100-300 mW/cm2 of irradiance.
  • Our patented LEDs generate a laser-like energy profile with focusing lenses to penetrate the skull
  • Our irradiance measurements are verified through independent testing and upheld through medical grade manufacturing certification standards.
Variations in head sizes and shapes
  • Adjustable bands and modules enable greater fit and contact.
Ventilation
  • Modular form factor enables ventilation, preventing heat buildup.
Targeting Different Brain Networks
  • Our transcranial modules are adjustable, enabling the diodes to be positioned over different scalp locations.

The Vielight Advantage | Intranasal-Transcranial vs Transcranial

The intranasal channel sits just beneath the cribriform plate, one of the thinnest regions of the human skull (around 0.1 mm). This means that targeted wavelengths, such as near-infrared light, can bypass many of the barriers that limit transcranial penetration, delivering energy more effectively to deep brain structures and circulating blood.

This coverage advantage has led Vielight’s intranasal-transcranial PBM (itPBM) approach to lead the industry in number of published clinical studies.

Read the Baycrest itPBM study with Vielight technology

Supported by Science (The Research Advantage)

Vielight technology is featured in the most published research in the field of brain photobiomodulation by a significant margin and has the deepest penetration in the entire industry.

We understand the need to validate the engineering theory behind our devices with scientific data. A simple idea like placing LEDs on your head can turn surprisingly complex when taking different parameters into account, like the pulse rate, wavelength and power density to maximize efficacy.

Other devices cannot easily emulate our efficacy because of our proprietary Vie-LED technology, intranasal and design patents. Brain photobiomodulation is parameter-specific and our Vie-LED technology generates a unique laser-like profile and an industry-leading irradiance on specific and important brain networks, like the Default Mode Network.

The table below is a benchmark studies published comparison against random PBM helmets.

 

Technology Form Factor Research Manufacturer Medical Device Licenses
Vielight Neuro (Vielight) Modular 27 published
(17 ongoing)		 Vielight, Canada 3
Weber Medical LED Infrared Helmet Helmet 0 published Suyzeko, China
(Private-labelled)		 –
Neuradiant 1070 (Neuronic) Helmet 3 published Suyzeko, China
(Private-labelled)		 –
Suyzeko PBM Helmet (Suyzeko) Helmet 1 published Suyzeko, China –

*Data as of Sept 2025

Don't Be Fooled by "Total Power" (mW)

Many PBM helmets advertise high total power (mW) by adding up the output of many LEDs. That figure can sound impressive, but it doesn’t tell you how much light actually lands on the scalp in a useful way.

  • Total power (mW) is like a floodlight: a large amount of light, spread over a wide area.

  • Irradiance (mW/cm²) is like a laser: the light is concentrated—so the intensity at the surface is higher.

 

Here’s an example: 1 mW x 10,000 LEDs = 10,000 mW total power output but just 1 mW/cm2 of irradiance, or just 1/30 of the irradiance of the NIR spectrum of sunlight.

Vielight devices are designed to deliver high irradiance at specific contact points (≈250 mW/cm²), enabling light to couple into tissue effectively and disperse through the underlying structures, rather than being weakened by hair, distance, and poor fit.

The depth of penetration and the stimulation of mitochondrial chromophores like cytochrome c oxidase depend on a sufficient irradiance threshold at the tissue interface. If the irradiance is too low, especially at the scalp, the photons do not reach deeper cortical or subcortical targets effectively, even if total emitted power is high.

More LEDs with lower irradiance increase coverage but do not compensate for low penetration. This limitation, they may increase coverage, but they do not enhance penetration unless irradiance per diode is sufficiently high.

Independent irradiance results from the PBM Foundation and Optonic Lab (part of Solar Light now)

The Vie-LED Irradiance Advantage

Vie-LED technology is unique and is engineered to generate a laser-like irradiance profile but with the safety of LEDs.

The PBM Foundation benchmarked the Vielight Neuro against two PBM helmets, the Suyzeko NIR helmet and Neuronic Neuradiant twice, as case studies for their testing program to standardize irradiance reporting.

MegaLab and Optronic Lab, photonics engineering firms, conducted the tests:

  1. Read the full independent test report from Optronic Lab here.
  2. Read the full independent test report from MegaLab here.

 

 

A 2024 systematic review that screened 2,133 records and included 97 brain PBM studies reports that irradiance (power density) was typically ~250 mW/cm². The Vielight Neuro with an independently measured irradiance of 180-333 mW/cm², is mostly inline with the irradiance used in these studies, which included lasers. However, the Neuronic and Suzyeko helmets generated less than 5% of the average irradiance used over 97 analyzed brain PBM studies.

Irradiance comparison table

Source Independently measured irradiance Manufacturer % of Typical Brain-PBM Irradiance (≈250 mW/cm²)
Vielight Neuro (Vielight) 180-350 mW/cm2 Vielight, Canada 80–160%
Neuradiant 1070 (Neuronic) ≈9 mW/cm2 Suyzeko, China
(Private-labelled)		 ≈4%
Suyzeko PBM Helmet (Suyzeko) 5 mW/cm2 Suyzeko, China 3%
Natural Sunlight 100 mW/cm2 Free 40%

*Data based on published data by the PBM Foundation in coordination with Optronic Lab and Megalab.

 

“The Vielight Neuro generated 20-30x more irradiance than the tested PBM helmets, aligning it with the power density levels used in successful clinical research.” — Based on PBM Foundation Standardized Testing.

Dr Cody Rall | Vielight vs Neuronic (Standard Helmet)

Dr Cody Rall | US Navy Psychiatrist | Vielight Neuro Comparison Tests

While the PBM Foundation’s standardized reports provide the data-driven proof of our irradiance levels, independent reviewers like Cody Rall (Techforpsych) have provided the visual proof. In his ‘Skull Test,’ he demonstrated that the Vielight Neuro delivered significantly more light energy through the skull than traditional helmets, which often failed to penetrate the bone at all.

“The 3-Second Advantage” Comparison Table

Feature Generic PBM Helmets Vielight Neuro (Next-Gen)
Penetration 5–9 mW/cm² (Weak) 180–350 mW/cm² (Research-Grade)
Brain Coverage Scalp only (Dorsal) Total (Dorsal + Ventral/Underside)
Deep Access Blocked by skull Intranasal (Cribriform Plate Path)
Thermal Mgmt. Closed dome (Traps heat) Modular (Air-cooled & Adjustable)
Evidence Zero to 3 studies 25+ Published Clinical Trials

Medical Device Standards

Vielight is one of the few North American photobiomodulation manufacturers fully certified as a medical device company (ISO 13485, MDSAP, and MDR). Our technology is FDA and Health Canada registered.

Light-Based Terminology

  • Power density (mW/cm2)

Power density is the amount of light energy emitted directly from the source.

Power density can be hindered by distance and hair and is not an accurate indication.

  • Irradiance (mW/cm2)

Irradiance is the amount of light energy landed on a surface from the source.

While surface radiant power density and radiant power density share the same measurement unit mW/cm2, they are not equivalent.

Surface radiant power density gives an accurate picture of how much energy the scalp receives.

  • Total power

Total power is defined as the total amount of energy emitted over a period of time by all light sources.

Many weak inefficient LEDs can generate a high total power but if the surface radiant power density is too low and if blocked by hair, light energy won’t penetrate the skull.

This article was written by

Author

Dr. Nazanin Hosseinkhah

Vielight | Biomedical Physicist

Nazanin manages brain imaging research projects with photobiomodulation in collaboration with major research organizations, such as the University of Alberta and Baycrest Hospital.

PhD in Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
Meet the author
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