1/n

Neuralink. What sets them apart, beyond their based team, is the way they go about hardware. They build both the robotic electrode inserter, and the packaged sensor device. High yield surgery, done by a robot. They’re likely the most advanced BCI company in the world, now having tested on 2 human patients.

2/n

CS2 played by patient #2, Alex
https://neuralink.com/blog/prime-study-progress-update-second-participant/
Game for testing your precision
https://neuralink.com/webgrid/
Team, interviewed by Lex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbk9BiPhm7o
Deep dive into their tech, their first paper 
https://www.jmir.org/2019/10/e16194

eth enjoyer working on think2earn and incentives 

3/n 

Blackrock Neurotech, branch of a $10 trillion AUM behemoth - 5x the crypto market cap - develops invasive sensors allowing users to control computers. Their BCI reportedly has 30k patient-days of data and 100+ peer-reviewed papers. Though, unlike Neuralink, the sensor is wired outside the skull.

4/n

Tether Evo, the VC arm of the 3rd largest cryptocurrency, invested $200 million in Blackrock Neurotech. Could signal intent to bridge finance and BCIs, or simply an investment into promising tech.

4/n

Tether Evo, the VC arm of the 3rd largest cryptocurrency, invested $200 million in Blackrock Neurotech. Could signal intent to bridge finance and BCIs, or simply an investment into promising tech.

https://tether.io/news/tether-takes-strategic-stake-in-leading-brain-computer-interface-company-blackrock-neurotech/

5/n

There’s reading and writing to the brain, with invasive and non-invasive tech. Invasive methods are set to dominate the market. 

One day, we may recall internet data just like our names, but will "privacy of the mind" survive? 

What would happen in the context of mandatory chipping in certain jurisdictions?

6/n

OpenBCI, likely the largest open-source player in the space. Their OS alignment allowed third parties to manufacture hardware and develop software using their tech. While their $28k VR headset isn’t fully open-source, they are a significant force in driving innovation and collaboration within the BCI community.

7/n

Schematics & BOM for manufacturing 
https://docs.openbci.com/ForDevelopers/HardwareDevelopment/
Spreadsheet with research that used OpenBCI tech
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WvolD2-QJ5aUJy5o0Dq5wdFQtLMkMtppZT8s_ihYyA4/
Emotibit
https://shop.openbci.com/products/all-in-one-emotibit-bundle

8/n

Kernel, founded by @bryanjohnson, developed a high-res fNIRS device, primarily used in clinical research on psychoactive compounds, alcohol, and now depression, and cognitive decline. With a price of $115k, it’s not consumer-focused, but highlights fNIRS's capabilities. 

https://www.kernel.com/research

9/n

Kernel's devices aren't open hardware - manufacturing files aren't available. However, open initiatives are gaining traction, with some listed on openFNIRS’s website, and another starting at $200 for a setup.

https://openfnirs.org/hardware/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722100033X

10/n

Emotiv. With an EEG headset, Perri shows how imagining pushing a cube controls movement. The interviewer mirrors the effect, though body movement, which also generates electrical activity, could be influencing the model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBYY3D1gkQ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsLFga7jZuc

11/n

CTRL-Labs. Based team. Acquired by Meta in 2019 for an amount between $500m and $1b, their software translates wrist signals to AR/VR movements.

11/n

CTRL-Labs. Based team. Acquired by Meta in 2019 for an amount between $500m and $1b, their software translates wrist signals to AR/VR movements.
 
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3170427.3186520

https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/23/20881032/facebook-ctrl-labs-acquisition-neural-interface-armband-ar-vr-deal

Neurovalens was FDA approved to market devices for insomnia and anxiety disorder, after clinical trials. These deliver electrical pulses to specific brain regions.

Neurovalens was FDA approved to market devices for insomnia and anxiety disorder, after clinical trials. These deliver electrical pulses to specific brain regions. 

https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/us-fda-neurovalens-anxiety/

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPMN/pmn.cfm?ID=K230826

Muse sells affordable EEG headsets, starting at 250 dollars.

Muse sells affordable EEG headsets, starting at 250 dollars.

https://choosemuse.com/

think2earn! 

A startup marketing open source EEG devices, and fNIRS afterwards. Its' purpose is to become a market leader in open source, privacy and security oriented BCI tech, and to reward users for their data by training models using confidential computing and revenue sharing with data contributors.

Fascinating advancements! Neuralink's approach to integrating robotics with BCI tech is groundbreaking. The potential applications for medical science and beyond are immense. Excited to see where they go next with human trials.