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Science Launches A Platform To Produce Medical Devices: Neuralink’s Competitor

Written by Senoria Khursheed ·  1 min read >

Science, the biotechnology startup, establishes a platform that will enable companies to develop and produce medical devices quickly.

The platform Science Foundry permits companies to build and create their internal infrastructure by offering access to more than 80 of its tools and services.

Science is part of the BCI industry and growing brain-computer interface
BCI system is the science eye- a visual prosthesis. Whose main objective is to facilitate patients with two forms of severe blindness to restore some visual input to their brains

On Monday, Neuralink’s Competitor ‘Science’, a biotechnology startup, established a new platform enabling companies to develop and produce medical devices quickly.

The platform, called Science Foundry, provides access to more than 80 of its tools and services, such as the company’s thin-film electrode technologies.

However, the worth of technology used to innovate devices is mainly “prohibitive” for new startups. Hodak, Science Co-founder and CEO Max, told in an interview.

In addition, the worth of individual tools can cost nearly $200,000 to $2 million. Hodak said companies could easily spend hundreds of millions establishing a manufacturing line.

In reality, the cost of the startup is high, but Hodak is optimistic about Science Foundry that it can help.
“Hopefully, we bring down the barriers to innovation, there is a bunch of smart people out there that have different ideas than the ones that we have, and we would like to enable them”.

Science is a part of the growing brain-computer interface or BCI industry.
A BCI system transmits brain signals and gives commands for external technologies. Though, Neuralink is already famous and popular in space.

The Science relies on a thin, flexible, micro-LED range implanted over the retina..

How Implant Works

The implant controls a group of light-sensitive cells in the optic nerves. When one pixel sends a signal, a cell gets a signal in the optic nerve, which later uses to drive the nerve and send vision into the brain.

Science implant is powered explicitly by special glasses outfitted with small cameras and sensors. Later, the LED array translates the signals from the glasses and sends them to the optic nerve.

According to Hodak, the resulting images will look different than what people with healthy eyes are used to. However, it will be highly refreshing for patients without light sensitivity. Though, at least for the first iteration of the technology.

Hodak predicted that Science would eventually be able to duplicate high-resolution colour vision.

Before applying it to humans, Science is experimenting with it on rabbits. Soon, it will start trials with human patients.

The company’s main objective is to support companies working on innovative ideas.

Hodak says, “he expects to see demand from other neurotechnology companies, but that other medical technology startups and even quantum computing companies represent growth opportunities”.

Hodak said that the cost of using Science Foundry is comparable to that of working with academic facilities. Moreover, Hodak asserted that customers of Science Foundry find it quite simple to commercialise their products.

He also said that the platform would benefit Science and a broader sector.

“This enables us to support larger-scale and more capabilities that we can use to enable the community and ourselves even further”.

Read more:

Brain Computer Interfaces: Neuralink Faces Massive Challenges

Elon Musk Intends To Purchase Neuralink’s Brain Implant For Himself