Subsense

Subsense is a startup working on connecting the brain to computers using nanoparticles that are inhaled through the nose. Think of it like using a nasal allergy spray: you breathe in extremely tiny particles, and once they settle in the brain, a headset worn like a cap sends magnetic fields to either wake up specific neurons or read neural signals.

Elon Musk's Neuralink has a similar goal, but Neuralink requires surgery to open the skull and implant a chip, while Subsense instead chose a non-surgical route through the nose. That said, since nanoparticles are actually introduced into the brain, it isn't entirely without impact on the body.

Subsense is still at an early stage, currently testing on rats rather than humans, and its plan is to first commercialize the technology for medical use before expanding into consumer products.

Articles use it like, "Ray Kurzweil is joining Subsense as a product and vision advisor." It's important not to lose sight of the fact that this is an early-stage startup that hasn't been used on humans yet, and that being "non-surgical" doesn't mean it's a fully non-invasive technology with zero effect on the body.