Ray Kurzweil joins Subsense as an adviser as the company develops a brain interface based on nanoparticles delivered through the nose
Ray Kurzweil joins Subsense as an adviser as the company develops a brain interface based on nanoparticles delivered through the nose
On September 3, AI researcher and futurist Ray Kurzweil joined the California startup Subsense as an adviser on product development and vision. The company says it plans to deliver two types of nanoparticles to the brain through the nose. A wearable device would interact with these particles to record and stimulate neuronal activity.
A brain interface connects the electrical activity of nerve cells to a computer. In the Subsense system, the two types of particles would serve different purposes. According to the company, plasmonic particles would scatter invisible near-infrared light differently in the presence of a local electric field, allowing a wearable device to record the signal. Magnetoelectric particles would convert an external magnetic field into a local electrical stimulus that the company plans to use to activate neurons.
Such a system would need to deliver the particles to the intended brain region, keep them there, record the signal, and produce a localized effect.
At a Subsense event on September 3, Kurzweil described the ultimate goal as follows:
“Ultimately, we want to merge the smartphone with the brain.”
A 2021 study in Science Advances demonstrates one component of this proposed system. Researchers injected magnetoelectric particles directly into specific brain regions in mice, then applied static and alternating magnetic fields. They compared the combination of particles and both fields with each field alone and with control materials. The number of cells expressing c-Fos, a marker of recent neuronal activity, increased at the injection site. The mice also showed changes in speed and gait parameters during an automated gait test. These controls tested whether the combination of the material and the two fields produced localized stimulation.
At Subsense, Kurzweil will advise on product development. The company identifies neurological disorders as its initial area of focus and plans pilot clinical trials for 2027–2029.