Temple device claims face scrutiny on test of scientific evidence
CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News / Agencies, Bhopal:
Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal’s new wearable device “Temple” has become a topic of discussion in technology and medical circles. The company claims that the small device, placed near the temple, can track changes linked to blood flow in the brain with the help of optical sensors and artificial intelligence. It also gives a score called “entropy”, which is being explained in relation to the body’s physical activity and stress. However, doctors have raised questions over its scientific basis and the credibility of its claims.
Pre-booking for the device, priced at around Rs 85,000, began in India on November 1. Its key features include the Brainflow Index. This does not show the actual volume of blood reaching the brain, but prepares a specific score linked to changes in blood flow.
What does the initial research say?
In a preprint study published in September 2026, the device’s Brainflow Index was compared with transcranial Doppler (TCD) testing on 23 healthy people. A good correlation was seen between the two readings during exercise and changes in body position. However, it would not be correct to treat this as 80 percent accuracy. The study was small, funded by the company and has not yet undergone review by independent experts.
Doctors raise questions
The main objection from experts is that a sensor placed on the temple can also record changes occurring in the scalp and superficial blood vessels. In such a situation, it is necessary to prove that the device is actually measuring changes in blood flow inside the brain. Merely showing similarity between two readings is not sufficient proof of this.
Doctors have also questioned the scientific basis of the entropy score. They say that the availability of a score and its clinical validation are two different things.
What has Deepinder Goyal said in response?
Goyal says Temple is a fitness and wellness device, not a medical device. No claim has been made that it can be used to identify or treat disease. Defending the technology on the basis of initial research, he has said that further independent testing and peer-reviewed research will bring out the evidence.
For now, Temple can be seen as a new technology initiative. But more independent and large-scale research is still needed before its claims on measuring blood flow in the brain and understanding signs linked to ageing can be treated as established scientific facts.
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