Ray Kurzweil joins Subsense to develop non-surgical brain interface

AI pioneer and futurist Ray Kurzweil has joined Subsense, a Silicon Valley-based neurotechnology startup, as a product and vision advisor. The company is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface (BCI) that utilizes inhaled nanoparticles to connect the human brain to computers.

Unlike Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which requires surgical implantation of electrodes through the skull, Subsense aims to deliver charged nanoparticles intranasally. These particles travel through the olfactory nerve to reach the brain, where they can respond to magnetic fields generated by an external headset to stimulate neural activity.

Subsense has raised $27 million and has begun testing its technology on mice, though human trials are not imminent. The company intends to target neurological conditions such as ALS and Parkinson’s disease. Kurzweil stated that the goal is to merge the capabilities of smartphones with the brain to overcome current barriers in accessing artificial intelligence.