Neurotechnologies
VISION
The human brain – “the most complex object in the known universe” (C. Koch) – is the fastest computational machine we are aware of, with a capacity exceeding ExaFLOPs performance, and it is also the most power-efficient, consuming just 20W. These performance metrics are orders of magnitude beyond what our technologies can hope to achieve in the foreseeable future.
HMNTL aims to develop innovative neurotechnologies that will enable the recording and manipulation of massive neuron populations in the brain to produce a dynamic picture of brain circuit interactions at the speed of thought.
The development of implantable chip-scale engineering systems that provide massive recording, computational analytics and adaptive manipulation brain neuron populations require deep collaborations across many disciplines including electronic and photonic device physics, nanofabrication methods, novel bio-compatible materials, high-speed communications, power efficient edge computing, novel approaches in data analytics and AI architectures.
HMNTL has great historical examples of such cross-disciplinary integrative projects. The breadth of this current project requires a transformation of a collaborative culture into a new, transdisciplinary effort that will break through cultural divides between disciplines and fundamentally change the nature of training and workflow in present-day engineering, neurobiology and data science – from silos confined within sub-disciplines towards integrative and holistic research.