Neurotech has more companies and more funding. Most appear to be incremental improvements to the same core technologies.

What are the barriers to entry, what are the most promising up-and-coming approaches, and how can new entrants accelerate the field?

What are the barriers to entry?

• Fundamentally new neurotech requires hybrid skillsets (hardware, biology, data)
• Slow feedback loops due to the need for human testing and medical device approval
• For mental health applications, it’s hard to measure success: depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc an be caused or alleviated by other confounding variables
• Some noninvasive devices seem to work decently well for a small fraction of people, but have an overall low average effect
• People are (understandably) resistant to devices that can read or influence their brain activity, in ways they don’t understand. The Overton window of technology invasiveness: It’s acceptable to continuosly drink caffeine, and almost-normal to wear a continuous glucose monitor, but it would be unusual for someone to be eager to get an implanted Neuralink.

Neurotech can be framed as an I/O challenge

• How to record and stimulate with high spatial and temporal resolution
• Different resolutions may be useful for different applications

How can you get more I/O?

1. Go invasive (i.e. Neuralink)
2. Improve higher-resolution noninvasive modalities (infrared / ultrasound)
3. Combine a higher number of current noninvasive modalities (US, IR, EMG, EEG)
   1. Low-res sensors, but more of them with more time.
      1. Experiment: 200 mini-EEGs embedded in the scalp to record 24/7

Approaches that deserve more exploration