AI futurist Ray Kurzweil has joined neurotechnology startup Subsense, which is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface that could use inhaled nanoparticles to interact with neurons.
Unlike Neuralink’s implanted electrodes, Subsense plans to deliver charged nanoparticles through a nasal spray. The particles would travel toward the brain through the olfactory pathway and respond to magnetic fields produced by an external headset.
The company says the approach could eventually allow neural activity to be stimulated without surgery, potentially opening brain-computer interfaces to wider uses.
Kurzweil said the technology brings together AI, nanotechnology and neuroscience in a way that could move brain-computer interfaces beyond current surgical limitations.
Subsense has raised $27 million and has begun testing the technology in mice. Human trials are still some distance away, with the company ultimately hoping to develop treatments for neurological conditions including ALS and Parkinson’s disease.