This year’s first neurotech track at CES 2025 featured several panels with some of the brightest minds in the field to discuss the current state of neurotech, challenges and what to expect by 2030.
This article brings you highlights from two panel discussions: “Everyday Neurotech: Brain-Computer Interfaces for All” featuring moderator Simon Bachmann, CEO of IDUN Technologies, Kimi Doan, chief innovation officer of Earable Neuroscience, Jason McKeown, CEO of Neurovalens, Jessica Randazza-Pade, vice president of marketing and communications at Neurable, Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv and Tam Vu, professor at Dartmouth College and founder of Earable Neuroscience.
“Neurotech in Healthcare: Revolutionizing Diagnosis and Treatment” featuring moderator Sandy Carter, COO and founder of Unstoppable/AI First, Ryan Field, CEO of Kernel, Ariel Garten, co-founder of Muse Brain Technology, Geoffrey Klass, CEO of Sense Diagnostics, Tara Scudder, senior ad operations specialist at Tubi and Bjoern Woltermann, CEO of Katalyst Interactive Inc.
What is the current state of neurotech and what lies ahead?
“There are three main pillars we will continue to see in the future … advancements in sensing that help us to understand and look into the brain really, really well noninvasively and the second is then applying AI, machine learning, and especially the advancement of neuro network to understanding what’s going on in the brain, what are the cognitive functions. And the third pillar will be the actuator, the stimulation when we use speakers, when we use ultrasounds, along many other kind of stimulation that can interact with the brain to improve our brain and cognitive function.”
-- Tam Vu, professor Darthmouth College/founder of Earable Neuroscience
“Form factor and how to make it into the daily life and integrate that as part of the activities of the consumer is a very important part. The second part is how we can integrate AI seamlessly into the user experience, so when they use the device it’s not about playing with the technology, but instead is a part of their daily life.”
Kimi Doan, chief innovation officer at Earable Neuroscience
“Something I see a bit of a challenge in the consumer neurotech space, I guess in neurotech per se, is the trade-off. We heard a lot about form factor innovation and how devices are becoming smaller and more comfortable. We do have to address also that with devices becoming smaller, having less contact area to the skin or less electrodes, less channels, that there is a challenge from a single quality or from a data perspective.”
Simon Bachmann, CEO of IDUN Technologies
What is the killer application in neurotech and how will these technologies change the world five to 10 years from now?
“I think in our neurotech world, a good application would be a drug-free solution for something that’s already being sold right now in the pharmaceutical world -- think insomnia, ADHD – some of the neurodegenerative diseases that are being treated by using pharmaceutical solutions using wearable, using new neurotech technologies, I think that would be the killer app that we will see in five, 10 years.”
Tam Vu, professor Darthmouth College/founder of Earable Neuroscience
“Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) has the ability to be as adaptive and tailored to each of the uniqueness’s of our brains. Using the EEG signal, we can really better understand you and tailor it to you. One of the things that we’re exploring, and I expect to continue to see in the next … years, is opening up platforms more to developers to allow for more people coming onto the platform, to allow for different kinds of applications that are tailored to people’s different needs. I hope to see in the next … years that there are applications that we couldn’t visualize sitting here today."
Jessica Randazza-Pade, vice president, marketing and communication at Neurable
“We have people playing computer games just with a mind controller or having a person that is paralyzed from the neck down drive a Formula One car using his mind. We’ve ported that technology now into this form factor [held up Emotiv device] so that anybody can actually start to move objects with their mind, both virtually and potentially connected to physical objects as well, so things like an IoT so you can change the color of your lights. This will start to move this technology beyond just the clinical and medical, health care, wellness space, into something that will become much more mainstream for consumers, because the gaming market is a very substantial one.”
Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv
Where does neuroethics stand today and where are the opportunities and risks?
“The fundamental position we take is that brain data is users’ data. The users need to have full control over the privacy of that data, what they want to do with it, and how they want to use that data. For us, in order to provide a service to our customers, we may collect a copy of that data to improve the service for our customers, but we make it a very, very basic premise that we will not share that data unless the user authorizes us to share that data”
Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv
“We take the stance that the user data is theirs. We actually don’t take their data unless they allow us to take it. So they have to opt into that, and then it is anonymized.”
Jessica Randazza-Pade, vice president, marketing and communication at Neurable
“In the medical world there is that additional little part where we actually have to submit all of that [data] to a board and get approval before we can do anything.”
Jason McKeown, CEO of Neurovalens
“What I’m hoping to see more in the neurotech space when it comes to neuroethics is practical tools, because it can be a bit of an abstract topic. Especially if you’re in the B2B space, which some of us are, we do have a partner and it also depends on what the partner wants to do, and it depends on what’s in the wallet of the partner, right?”
Simon Bachmann, CEO of IDUN Technologies
“AI transforms neurotech from a device that’s tracking into an actor that is actively part of the solution. The key distinction between machine learning and AI is that it’s a lot smarter and that it learns by itself through the abundance of data. Because our technology is now so good at capturing high-quality neurosignals that feed into the AI machine and then take action.”
Tam Vu, professor Darthmouth College/founder of Earable Neuroscience
“We are adding AI to [potentially] provide a closed-loop treatment approach.”
Jason McKeown, CEO of Neurovalens
“We see AI as augmented intelligence, not as artificial intelligence. It’s really about helping understand more quickly in order to find solutions that are going to be more meaningful.”
Jessica Randazza-Pade, vice president, marketing and communication at Neurable
“I do believe that 2025 will be the year where we see some brain foundation models already deployed in the market -- We’ll see.”
Simon Bachmann, CEO of IDUN Technologies
In five years from now, what will be the biggest improvement in your area?
“Psychiatrists will now have a tool to use to understand the condition of their patient before they write a prescription and I think this is completely game-changing from where we are today where it’s a lot of trial and error and a long time to actually achieve successful treatments.”
Ryan Field, CEO of Kernel
“I think in five years we’re going to have technology that cannot only track your brain health but give you interventions to improve your brain health. It already exists now. With Muse, you can do meditation interventions, you can improve your sleep, you can do a range of things to improve your brain health and you can track your brain health.”
Ariel Garten, co-founder of Muse Brain Technology
“I think in five years, we’ve solved sarcopenia, which is the age-related loss of muscle mass, and obesity in the United States. We are just doing a study with the Mayo Clinic where we are combining weight-loss medications with the build-up of muscle mass in terms of muscle stimulation. It is one of the most exciting studies that we’ve been doing in a long period of time.”
Bjoern Woltermann, CEO of Katalyst Interactive Inc
“Our vision, in five years from now, is that in a health care facility, at a doctor’s office, they have a device which they put on your head and just simply turn it on and that device will be able to detect the early presence of any abnormal tissue that maybe developing in your brain.”
Geoffrey Klass, CEO of Sense Diagnostics
“I’m excited about the use of EEGs. When people are exposed to an odorant you can see different areas of the brain light up. And so by understanding the emotions and how smell is actually processed in the brain, we are able to create change in this area by understanding it more. I’m very excited about PlayStation. They filed a patent where it’s an ultrasound wave that would be beamed into the users’ brain and you can trigger a certain scent.”
Tara Scudder, senior ad operations specialist at Tubi