AI-powered orb decentralizes access to psychedelic therapy to improve mental health

studiocone safely guides users through psychedelic journeys

With Orb, an AI-powered tool developed to guide individuals through safe, personalized psychedelic journeys, StudioCone questions: Can decentralized access to psychedelic therapy reshape society from the ground up? The device addresses the systemic challenges intertwined with the global mental health epidemic, envisioning a future where expanded access to psychedelic therapy enhances individual health.

Imagining a more equitable and conscious future, Orb’s key features include an affordable subscription model, AI-driven guidance grounded in neuroscience and psychiatry, human expert oversight, and community support. The platform also offers neuroscientific gamification to enhance preparation, as well as custom hardware.

all images courtesy of StudioCone

orb is rooted in neuroscience and psychiatry

Orb is a decentralized, community-owned AI platform supported by an ecosystem of experts ranging from psychiatry to shamanism. Fusing cutting-edge technology, community engagement, and personal well-being, StudioCone aims to guide users safely through harm-free psychedelic experiences for cognitive enhancement, spiritual growth, or mental health treatment, transforming recreational use into a personalized journey toward wellness.

The handheld tool features conversational AI, enhanced with calming animations and temperature adjustments for comfort. Accompanying bone-conducting, brain-sensing biometric earphones monitor brain activity, heart rate variability, and other physiological markers. These devices enhance brainwave training while improving safety and research outcomes. The London-based design studio has also created an app which serves as a personalized mental health hub offering tailored onboarding, medical screening, and a customized treatment plan. Verified users access a custom dashboard with daily tasks to prepare for their psychedelic experiences.

an AI-powered tool developed to guide individuals through safe, personalized psychedelic journeys

the ai-powered tool addresses global mental health challenges

StudioCone’s vision of Orb signifies a radical shift towards democratizing mental health solutions. By blending AI with psychedelics, Orb seeks to address both individual well-being and broader societal challenges, such as climate change, social polarization, and mental health crises. Psychedelic experiences have been shown to enhance empathy, deepen connections to nature, and promote societal cohesion — qualities desperately needed in today’s fragmented world.

Nevertheless, the convergence of AI and psychedelics introduces significant ethical dilemmas. Issues around privacy, the commodification of spiritual experiences, and the potential exploitation of Indigenous knowledge must be addressed thoughtfully to avoid undermining the very values that psychedelics aim to restore. Despite these challenges, StudioCone imagines a preferable future where the careful integration of AI and psychedelics could help build a more equitable and conscious society. ‘By reconnecting individuals with their ecological and spiritual selves, society could be redefined not as a collection of individuals but as an interconnected organism,’ shares the team. ‘With a focus on decentralization, ethical governance, and human connection, technologies like Orb could enhance collective well-being and foster a deeper, more harmonious relationship with the universe around us.’

the handheld tool features conversational AI, enhanced with calming animations and temperature adjustments

Orb represents the first instalment of StudioCone’s wider exploration into psychedelic futures, employing design futures methodologies to envision and critique potential scenarios — ranging from the near-term (0-5 years) to the long-term (10-15 years). This exploration aims to unlock knowledge and create strategies toward more desirable psychedelic futures for all. During the research phase, the studio delved into the global mental health epidemic, which currently affects over 1 billion people worldwide. 

‘These mental health issues are compounded by multiplying global risks, such as climate change, which exacerbates extreme weather events, resource shortages, socio-economic instability, and geopolitical conflicts. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence increases the risk of misinformation and job displacement, while societal polarization fuels extremism, social unrest, and declining trust in public institutions,’ notes StudioCone. This troubling combination underscores the urgent need for transformative change.

accompanying bone-conducting, brain-sensing biometric earphones monitor various physiological markers

Orb earphones during meditation

the device envisions a future where expanded access to psychedelic therapy enhances individual health

Orb features human expert oversight, and community support

StudioCone’s speculative advert follows a young woman navigating the overwhelming pressures of modern life

the first instalment of StudioCone’s wider exploration into psychedelic futures

psychedelic experiences have been shown to deepen connections to nature, and promote societal cohesion

the platform also offers neuroscientific gamification to enhance preparation, as well as custom hardware

project info:

name: Orb
designer: StudioCone | @studiocone_

film credits:

creative director: Conner Eastwood

film director: Ewan McIntosh 

producer: Olive Walton 

DOP: Amy Reid

1st AC: Phoebe David

score: Jack Edmonds

sound design: George Davies

production assistant: Isabel McIntosh 

starring: Rachael Ridley 

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom