NeuraMatrix – A Better Neural Link for the Metaverse
June 8th, 2023
The Current State and Achievements of NeuraMatrix
NeuraMatrix’s name is a tribute to the Matrix films.
According to public information, NeuraMatrix, incubated and established by Tsinghua University in November 2019, claims to be the only Chinese BCI company that focuses on building bottom-level devices for next-gen interfaces. The two founders of NeuraMatrix are experts in integrated circuits (chips) and biomaterials respectively.
Milin studied electronic engineering from undergraduate to doctoral degree, and her research qualifies her for cutting-edge research in neuroscience and biomedicine. She and her high school classmate and biomaterial expert Shuo started the business together. Their backgrounds have laid a solid foundation for NeuraMatrix.
NeuraMatrix's two main directions are chip systems and bio-materials. Research teams led by Milin and Shuo collaborate, aiming to establish a wireless data exchange channel between brain and machine.
According to industry reports, Milin is currently working on NeuraMatrix's chip system, which is much smaller compared to a mobile phone system. Some key modules of NeuraMatrix's products have been verified and have entered the audit stage. It is expected that the company's first chip will be released by 2021. Based on current public information, we can infer that NeuraMatrix aims to become a platform that provides a complete set of interactive solutions for reading/transmitting brain-machine signals. Shuo, another co-founder, leads the biomaterial development, which aims to solve problems of rejection reaction after implantation.
NeuraMatrix has completed a prototype and plans to fine-tune it into a finished product before finding volunteers to test it. The first-generation product is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2021. Additionally, the company plans to develop a range of products that integrate hardware, software, and data services. The hardware will consist of chip systems, signal acquisition computers, and implanted electrodes. The software will transmit the collected data wirelessly to phones or computers. NeuraMatrix will analyse the data collected from the body to provide customers with interpretation and analysis.
NeuraMatrix’s Development Plan
NeuraMatrix's future development will involve the following four steps: animal testing, human testing, human-machine interaction, and the Metaverse.
1. First, conduct experiments on animals to provide tools for pharmacological and cognitive neuroscience research institutions, and ultimately provide new avenues for pharmacology and neuroscience research.
2. Use brain-computer interfaces to try to improve the condition of patients with diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's syndrome, and epilepsy caused by abnormal neural discharges. At the same time, help disabled people to control prosthetics through brain-computer interfaces.
3. Expanding research to communication, making possible interaction between people and computers, such as making phone calls, logging in to search for information, and online shopping.
4. Connect humans directly to the network through NeuraLink's chips so that people can enter the Metaverse. Users can engage in various activities in the Metaverse via their virtual avatars.
To achieve the aforementioned goals, NeuraMatrix has developed specialised neural interface chips and compact wireless devices with advantages such as high precision, low power consumption, support for massive data exchange, and long-term implantation.
Founders and Financing
According to reports, NeuraMatrix has received investment from top financial institutions such as Hua Chuang Capital, ZhenFund, and Matrix Partners.
Shuo, Chairman and CEO of NeuraMatrix, is a researcher at the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a doctoral supervisor and young expert working in the Organisation Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He has been involved in the research and development of implantable biomaterials and 3D printing technology for a long time, worked as the associate editor of the Springer journal Bio-Design and Manufacturing, and was selected by the Chinese Chemical Society as one of the 118 young Chinese chemists to endorse the periodic table of elements. He is also responsible for an A-class organ reconstruction and manufacturing project under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Shuo's research focuses on the design and biomechanical properties of small molecule and polymer gel materials, as well as the migration mechanisms of tumor cells in three-dimensional confined spaces, the design and study of biomimetic catalytic systems based on gel materials, and the design and application of functional gel materials such as shape memory materials and optoelectronic materials. In addition, Shuo is also interested in biological 3D printing. Shuo has published more than 20 SCI papers in international prestigious academic journals such as Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., and ACS Nano, and has filed one invention patent in the UK.
Milin, another co-founder of NeuraMatrix, is an associate professor and doctoral supervisor at Tsinghua University. He is also a model young expert selected by the Central Organisation Department of the Communist Party of China. With more than 10 years of experience in integrated circuit research and development, Milin specialises in designing various low-noise and low-power sensing interface systems. His academic papers have been published in top international journals such as JSSC (a top journal in the field of integrated circuits) and TBioCAS (a top journal in biomedical circuits and systems). His papers have also won awards at important international conferences on circuits and systems.
Last updated
