Key points from article :
Artificial intelligence pioneer Ray Kurzweil has joined Subsense, a Silicon Valley neurotechnology startup developing a way to connect the human brain to computers using inhaled nanoparticles. The company hopes its approach could offer an alternative to brain-computer interfaces such as Neuralink, which require electrodes to be implanted surgically. Instead, Subsense is developing a nasal spray designed to deliver tiny particles to the brain through the olfactory nerve, which carries information related to smell.
Once in the brain, the nanoparticles are intended to position themselves near neurons and interact with magnetic fields generated by an external headset. The system is designed to detect neural activity and stimulate brain cells without the need for implanted electrodes. If successful, the technology could eventually allow people to interact with computers directly through brain signals, with potential medical applications for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Kurzweil, a prominent futurist and Google AI researcher known for predicting that humans could increasingly merge with machines, believes the project brings together three fields he has long considered transformative: artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and neuroscience. Subsense has raised $27 million to develop its technology and has conducted early experimental tests in mice.
However, the concept remains at an early stage. The company is still years away from human trials, and it has yet to demonstrate that inhaled nanoparticles can safely and reliably read or influence brain activity in people. Much more research will be needed to establish whether the approach can work as intended, but it represents an unconventional attempt to develop less invasive brain-computer interfaces.
