9 Neurotechnology Companies Merging Humans and Machines

The days of living in a biological human shell are almost over. At least that's what futurologists hope if we introduce more advanced neurotechnology that enables people to communicate directly with machines.

We previously looked at how the bRain-ccomputer IInterfaces (BCI) changes. There is Kernel, a startup that provides BCI technology through its new business model, Noeuroscience aso a soService (NaaS). Mr. Elon Musk's pet neuralink neuroscience company featured a monkey playing pong with just his mind. And researchers were able to develop a BCI technology that stabbed electrodes in a paralyzed patient's brain and gave them the ability to write on a screen with just their minds. A recent article by Nature highlights another breakthrough in BCI - a new high-performance technology that enables users to write up to 90 characters per minute with 94% accuracy using just their thoughts. It's almost as fast and (though perhaps less accurate) than hormone-filled teenagers texting late at night.

Current and future applications of neurotechnology with BCI. Credit: IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering.

As Arthur C. Clarke once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." While we are still waiting for telekinesis and telepathy to be made available on the App Store, here are nine neurotechnology companies that are simpler magic create between human flesh and machine.

Neurotechnology company for mobility

Synchronous, based in New Yawk City, was founded in 2016 to develop bioelectronic devices that help patients with limited mobility and disabilities connect with the physical world. We got Synchro covered after they took in $ 10 million from a Series A in 2016. Previous investors included the seedy government agency DARPA. Since then the company has overall $ 42.6 million following a recent Series B infusion of $ 32.6 million led by Khosla Ventures. The startup builds minimally invasive devices and received the groundbreaking device name from the FDA last August. The current Strentrode device is embedded in the jugular vein and uses sensors to sense brain activity.

The Strentrode platform. Credit: Synchron

The company takes over amytrophic lateral soClerosis (AS), a neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of motor control over muscles. Two patients with ALW were able to control computers with mouse clicks of 92% accuracy and type at 14 to 20 words per minute.

Founded in 2008, Blackrock Neurotech is a Salt Lake City based startup that grew up in business $ 10 million, with bloodthirsty billionaire Peter Thiel throwing his own money into the ring. The company develops implantable technologies that help patients walk, speak, see, hear and feel. Blackrock Neurotech claims to be the first to give tetraplegic patients the ability to control robotic limbs with the mind, as well as the first to help ALS patients communicate with a mind-controlled audio speller. Its technology is based on FDA-cleared brain implants with an expiration date of seven years, with wireless devices in the works.

Implantable electronics for various neurotechnological applications, such as the treatment of chronic pain or epilepsy. Photo credit: Blackrock Neurotech

The company also provides neurotechnological hardware for a range of applications from pain management to epilepsy.

Founded in 2016, Pison Technology, based in Bahstun, is a startup that brings hardware and software together to create wearable technologies that enable people to control machines with gestures. The company is a spin-off from MIT and has grown up $ 7.1 million That included Bose after a Serie A that closed earlier this year. Pison develops a neurotechnology that records the neuromuscular signals on the surface of the skin, which are analyzed with the corresponding machine learning algorithms to control the electronics. The idea is that wearable technology predicts the user's intention rather than the user's body actually having to make the movement. Pison's first target is patients with ALS. The aim is to give them access to the digital world through mind control.

Neurotechnology company for virtual reality and gaming

MindPortal, a San Francisco-based company founded in 2019, brought $ 5 million after a recent seed round that featured Y Combinator, the most popular tech accelerator. MindPortal is building a non-invasive, wearable brain-computer interface through which users connect to virtual reality and simulations, and communicate with one another through thoughts. Imagine shooting thugs with just your mind in Call of Duty and 14 year old gamers instantly tell you how much to telepathically suck after firing a headshot. We're talking serious gameplay here. And similar to other VR apps, more adult activities are likely to become their most lucrative niche. The device looks like something Geordi La Forge could wear:

Image credit: MindPortal

MindPortal's technology uses a patent-pending wearable that can record human brain activity with 10 to 100 times more accuracy than EEG technology. We don't exactly know what that means in practical terms, but it sounds impressive.

Wearable Devices, headquartered in Israel, was founded in 2014 to develop a brain-computer interface with a bracelet called a mudra. It has overall $ 3.5 million after raising $ 1.5 million through a convertible note that closed in 2019. The bracelet picks up a series of six hand gestures that originate from the nervous system through the wrist. Deep learning algorithms translate electronic signals and classify them as a user intended gesture. Each gesture defines and transmits a unique interaction with the device. There is a version especially for Apple Watch users.

Credit: Wearable Devices

The company focuses on applications in the areas of augmented reality and gaming. It's time to take Wii Sports to the next level.

Arctop, based in San Francisco, was founded in 2016 and has $ 5 million from a $ 4 million seed round that closed in 2019. The startup develops the software for decoding brain signals and presents its product as a sooftware-as-a-soService (SaaS). The AI ​​software converts feelings and attention into real-time responses and is designed to interface with headphones, AR / VR systems, and earbuds for gaming, e-learning, digital health, and video / audio streaming.

Neurotechnology company for cyborgs

Between human-like robots and realistic Japanese waifu simulators, the land of the rising sun has always been at the forefront of technology. Tokyo-based Meltin MMI takes the brain-computer interface to the next level with an emphasis on biosensors and robotic arms. The company founded in 2013 has $ 20.6 million after bringing in $ 18.3 million in 2018 from an investment led by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Japan.

Finally no more crushed bottles. Photo credit: Meltin MMI

The company's technology is based on the recording of bio-signals and their conversion into highly sensitive robot movements with a total of 12 complex types of movement. Meltin MMI has developed a cyborg hand that can interpret signals and perform such complex tasks as holding an egg (without cracking it), picking up a laptop, and unscrewing a bottle cap from a bottle. The reaction time between the operator and the robot hand is 0.02 seconds. The company was even able to operate the robot more than 11,000 miles away. No zoom-like lag here.

Neurotechnology company for productivity

MindX, founded in 2017 and based in Maryland $ 1.9 million after a $ 1.75 million seed round that closed in January 2020. The company is building a look-and-think interface that enables users to spatially control digital objects on displays. The core technology was developed from a $ 200 million DARPA-funded research program at John Hopkins University. Not much is known about the company as it went out of stealth mode in 2019.

Founded in 2018 and based in Brooklyn, Neurosity has $ 175,000 after a seeding round of headgear development that teaches programmers to focus for long periods of time. The technology is called Crown, which to your brain looks like slim headphones. The device is designed to lead users into the flow state as a productivity hack. Other uses of the technology include mental illness monitoring and roadside fatigue prevention. Red Bull not required.

Embedding BCI in headgear has never been so sexy. Image credit: neurosity

Conclusion

The next digital revolution will be played on fully immersive virtual landscapes connected to your brain and connected to reality. And the next unicorn might just be the one discovering how to create advertising space in these hybrid worlds. Perhaps one day we'll be able to build entire robotic manufacturing empires with just our minds while sipping pineapple coladas on the beach. A real digital nomad's dream.

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