OpenAI sets out to compete with Neuralink's 'brain chips
This was reported by the authoritative Nature magazine. The technology used is very different, and is based on ultrasound
A new challenger to Elon Musk's Neuralink has appeared on the scene of brain-implantable chips: as reported by Nature magazine on its website, it is an American company called Merge Labs, whose backers include OpenAI.
However, Merge Labs is focusing on a different technology that will still take decades to develop: ultrasound. Ultrasound is the basis of classical ultrasound scans, in which sound waves bounce off tissue to build up an internal image of the body. In Merge Labs' approach, on the other hand, ultrasounds must bounce off moving objects, the blood cells: when neurons are very active, in fact, blood flow also increases, and this provides an estimate of the areas in function at that moment. However, this is an indirect measure of brain activity, which makes the method relatively slow and makes it impossible to read the patient's intentions in real time.
Ultrasound can also be used to stimulate neurons: when several beams are concentrated at a single point, the waves change the pressure around the cells and alter their discharge frequency.
The fields of use: from tinnitus to eating disorders
Nature states that Merge Labs has hinted at the possibility of combining these concentrated ultrasounds with so-called sonogenetics, which uses genetic engineering to make specific cells even more responsive to sound waves.
Merge Labs' approach would be less invasive than the devices used by Neuralink, as the sensors can be placed just below the skull, rather than deep inside the brain. Moreover, while electrodes can only interact with the narrow areas of the brain in which they are located, ultrasound has a wider range of action and can monitor and stimulate multiple sites simultaneously. This could prove useful for treating disorders involving several areas, such as tinnitus, depression, addiction and eating disorders.
