Silicon Valley’s Latest Craze: Brain Tech
From: IEEE Spectrum - 07/2017 - pages 08 - 09 - 06/23/2017
By: Eliza Strickland

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other big Silicon Valley players want to make
commercial gadgets for your brain

Silicon Valley's biggest influencers want to get inside your head. Over the
past year, four leading figures have announced plans to make gadgets that
will either nestle into the fleshy folds of your brain or sit atop your head
to read your thoughts from the outside.

Here are ventures that could signify the beginning of a new era of neurotech
- or the beginning of a brain-tech bubble:


1. Facebook's "typing-by-brain" project:

"We're working on a system that will let you type straight from your brain
about 5 times faster than you can type on your phone today," wrote Mark
Zuckerberg.

Links:
So what if you could type directly from your brain?
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/10103661167577621

Facebook Announces "Typing-by-Brain" Project
http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/bionics/facebook-announces-typing-by-brain-project

Director of Typing-by-Brain Project Discusses How Facebook Will Get Inside
  Your Head
http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/bionics/facebooks-director-of-typing-by-brain-project-discusses-the-plan


2. Elon Musk's new company, Neuralink

In March, Elon Musk revealed a new firm, Neuralink, devoted to building
high-bandwidth BCI systems that will be implanted in the brain.

"We are aiming to bring something to market that helps with certain severe
brain injuries (stroke, cancer lesion, congenital) in about 4 years." "I
think we are about 8 to 10 years away from this being usable by people with
no disability."

Links:
Neuralink
https://www.neuralink.com

Neuroscience Experts Weigh in on Elon Musk's Mysterious "Neural Lace" Company
http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/5-neuroscience-experts-weigh-in-on-elon-musks-mysterious-neural-lace-company

Neuralink and the Brain's Magical Future
https://waitbutwhy.com/2017/04/neuralink.html


3. Kernel's implant

Last October. Bryan Johnson announced that he was putting US $100 million of
his money into his new startup, Kernel, to develop an implanted brain
prosthetic.

The company's initial goal was to design an implant that would help people
with failing memories, including Alzheimer's and stroke patients. 

Links:
Kernel's Quest to Enhance Human Intelligence
https://medium.com/@bryan_johnson/kernels-quest-to-enhance-human-intelligence-7da5e16fa16c

Kernel
http://kernel.co

New Startup Aims to Commercialize a Brain Prosthetic to Improve Memory
http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/bionics/new-startup-aims-to-commercialize-a-brain-prosthetic-to-improve-memory


Read the entire article at:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/devices/silicon-valleys-latest-craze-brain-tech