The founder of "Valve" is preparing to launch the first smart brain chip

 

A new competitor to Neuralink.. The founder of Valve is preparing to launch the first smart brain chip

In a move that may change the future of brain-computer interfaces, Gabe Newell, founder and CEO of the famous gaming company Valve, is preparing to launch the first brain chip developed by his startup, Starfish Neuroscience, before the end of this year, thus entering into direct competition with Elon Musk’s Neuralink project.

Newell, whose company is known for iconic games such as Half-Life, DOTA 2 and Steam, has long toyed with the idea of ​​merging the human mind with the computer.

The beginning was by studying the biological responses of players within Valve, then exploring the possibility of developing brain interfaces at the Game Developers Conference in 2019.

But the matter did not stop at ideas, as in 2019 Newell quietly founded his new company, “Starfish Neuroscience,” which recently announced its intention to launch the first advanced brain chip at the end of 2025.

Although the prospective chip is still at an early stage, its design focuses on recording and stimulating brain activity to treat neurological diseases.

According to the company's neuroengineer, Nate Cermak, the chip is characterized by small size (2 x 4 mm) and low power consumption (1.1 milliwatts), and does not require an internal battery, but rather works using wireless power.

It is also able to communicate with multiple brain regions simultaneously, giving it a potential advantage over competing devices such as Neuralink's N1 chip.

"Starfish" aims to design a safer, less invasive implant that allows advanced uses in treating diseases such as paralysis and tremor, and even some psychological conditions such as depression and bipolar.

The company is also working on developing parallel technologies, including a thermal device to destroy tumors, and a magnetic stimulation system precisely directed toward the brain.

Although the project seems far from video games, Newell has hinted in previous lectures that brain-computer interfaces may revolutionize the gaming experience in the future, and may open the door to entirely new ways of interacting with games.