BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES

Brain Trust

Ramses Alcaide has spent the past 10 years working to create a consumer gadget that can analyze your brain. 

Alcaide is the cofounder of Neurable, a brain-machine interface startup that’s focused on helping people tap into heightened focus and productivity. And this week, the company announced its first-ever product: a set of headphones outfitted with EEG sensors, which aim to track a user’s focus and productivity levels.

We chatted with Alcaide on announcement day about the device, Neurable’s business model, and the technology’s very real risks. 

“Fitbit for the brain”

The brain-machine interface sector is projected to reach a market value of nearly $3.5 billion by 2027, and it’s been making waves in recent years. 

That’s thanks in part to Elon Musk and his own brain-machine interface company, Neuralink, which is focused on “designing the first neural implant that will let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go” via surgically implanted microchips (remember that monkey video that went viral?). But Neurable’s approach is considerably different: consumer products, no surgery necessary. 

• “While getting a Neuralink device is similar to getting a prosthetic...buying our technology is similar to a Fitbit for the brain,” says Alcaide. “All these benefits are provided to you without any type of surgical implant needed. So that's why we don't necessarily see ourselves as competitors with Neuralink.” 

Business of the brain

When we hear about a pair of headphones that tracks productivity and focus, our minds immediately tie it to an episode of Black Mirror. There are countless potential dystopian scenarios when it comes to data privacy—insurance companies hiking up premiums, employers tracking employee focus by the moment, you get the picture. 

But, but, but: Alcaide says Neurable doesn’t have any plans to sell, release, or share data, including anonymized stats. “We really believe as a company that people own their data,” he says. However, the company does plan to offer a subscription service down the line, which would give users access to software updates and more hands-free capabilities. 

• Customers may be incentivized to share their data with Neurable in order to get the subscription for free—solely for the company to make the product better, Alcaide says. 

Bottom line: Neurable is approaching brain-machine interfaces in a completely different way than Musk’s Neuralink: as an across-the-board consumer product. But as the headphones won’t be available until spring 2022, we have yet to see whether there’s a robust market for the product—and how well it works. 

Click here to read the full Q&A. —HF 

EVS

Car Electra

Ford’s electric vehicle division is ready to go all-in on batteries. 

This week, the automaker announced it will open Ford Ion Park, a “global battery center of excellence” (their words, not ours) in Southeast Michigan that’s focused on battery cell design and manufacturing. Also part of the announcement: a $185 million collaborative learning lab focusing on R&D for the next generation of batteries, including solid-state. 

Why this is big: Batteries require a lot of upfront investment in R&D, factories, and equipment, so up until now, Ford has been working with external suppliers. 

At the moment, battery manufacturing is largely based in Asia (think SK Innovation, Panasonic, and LG Chem), so Ford is an early adopter of US-based vertical production. GM and LG Chem are also spending $2+ billion on a second EV battery plant, in Tennessee. 

Big picture: The global chip shortage has highlighted the need to shore up long-term supply chain issues—and for the EV industry, bringing battery manufacturing in-house and stateside is one way to do that. 

• “The US needs to incentivize battery development, manufacturing, and production in the US to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign suppliers,” Asad Hussain, mobility analyst at PitchBook, told us. 

+ While we’re here: Expect market consolidation, too. Hussain added: “As companies like Ford begin vertically integrating their battery supply chains, it will increasingly make sense for them to acquire some of the startups developing next-generation and solid state batteries.” —HF 

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BIG TECH

The TL;DR for Big Tech Earnings

A slew of tech companies reported earnings this week, and—surprise, surprise—they’re all still raking in major coin. Here are some top takeaways. 

Microsoft: Despite the humblebrags, LinkedIn is a lot more popular than you might think. Based on current users, and last year’s revenue, it’s bigger than Twitter, Snap, Pinterest, and more. 

Alphabet: YouTube’s revenue increased nearly 50% last year, as we were all watching travel vlogs, beauty how-tos, and DIY project walkthroughs. It’s by far the most popular social media platform. 

Facebook: As many as 68% of iPhone users are expected to block ad tracking via Apple’s new ad transparency feature. Facebook, the personalized ad placer extraordinaire, has been concerned about this for a while—even though its revenue grew by nearly 50% year over year—and projects the feature will hurt revenue in Q2 and Q3. 

Tesla: Revenue increased 74% year over year, at about the same rate as the company’s production growth. Tesla is still bullish on bitcoin as a valuable way to store cash, and as its solar energy business grows, Elon Musk’s vision is to turn every home into its own power generator. —HF 

BITS & BYTES

Stat: Gartner projects the market for “hyper-automation technologies”—think AI and robotic process automation—will hit $596 billion in 2022, up ~23% from 2020. 

Quote: “There’s this local bookshop run by a crazy guy who loves books....That guy now has a better product online than Amazon has, right? He can literally get to all of his customers in a 50-square kilometer range in five minutes.” —Bobby Healy, CEO of drone delivery startup Manna, which just raised $25 million for a US expansion. 

Read: What we get wrong about machines taking our jobs.

Flip out: Flippy is the burger flippin’ robot set to revolutionize the QSR industry as the world's first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant. Projected to help businesses increase profit margins by 300%, you can invest in this flippin’ great opportunity now.*

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• The UK is becoming the first country to allow self-driving vehicles on highways, starting later this year. 
• Blue Origin is challenging NASA’s decision to award a moon lander contract to SpaceX. 
• Google Assistant’s latest feature allows users to teach it name pronunciations. 
• The NYPD canceled its contract with Boston Dynamics amid controversy over its use of Spot, the company’s robotic dog.
• Ford, BMW, and Honda all announced vehicle production cuts—within the same 12-hour span—due to the global chip shortage. 

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GOING PHISHING

Three of the following news stories are true, and one...we made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

• Microsoft is ditching Calibri and wants users’ help choosing a new font. 
• In its earnings call, Tesla announced it would add dogecoin to its crypto investments. 
• Autonomous robots are using lasers to take out pesky weeds.
• Nike will start selling PS5-themed shoes next month. 

LEADERBOARD

Now that 55% of US adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you can check out where your state stands as far as vaccination rates. 

Here are the top five most-vaccinated states, in order: New Hampshire (59.8%), Massachusetts (54.7%), Connecticut (53.9%), Vermont (53.8%), and Maine (53.5%). As for the least vaccinated state? It’s Alabama (32%).

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions: 

• How “labor-saving tech” can lead to more work
• The self-driving industry could be turning a corner
• How a smartphone chip made it all the way to Mars

GOING PHISHING ANSWER

As far as crypto investments go, Tesla seems to be sticking with bitcoin...at least for now.