Latest news with #Neuralink
Business Insider
10 hours ago
- Health
- Business Insider
Founder of Neuralink rival Precision Neuroscience reveals what people often get wrong about brain-implant surgery
The most important matter, gray matter that is, sits right at the surface. At least that's the line from Dr. Ben Rapoport, the founder and CEO of Precision Neuroscience, a brain-computer interface, or BCI, company. "Many people have the impression that the data that we care about is sort of everywhere inside this dimensional structure," Rapoport, a neurosurgeon and engineer, told Business Insider. That's a big misconception, he said. People often incorrectly assume that "you need electrodes that penetrate deep inside the brain to get that information out," he added. But brain implants don't need to be as invasive as they might sound, he said. Precision is developing a thin, electrode-studded film that sits on the brain and records brain activity in patients with paralysis. Vision, movement, sensation, and executive function — all core parts of consciousness — are concentrated in the brain's outermost layer, the cortex, Rapoport said. Deeper inside are "connections, you know, between those activities and also sort of subconscious processes, because the brain coordinates a lot of activities in the body that don't take place consciously," he added. The New York-based startup, which received FDA clearance for part of its wireless brain-computer interface in April, has raised $155 million in funding since it launched in 2021. It is one of a few companies advancing this technology as part of the Implantable BCI Collaborative Community — an initiative launched by the FDA in 2024 that also includes Elon Musk's Neuralink, Synchron, and BlackRock Neurotech. BCIs are largely classified into two categories: invasive and non-invasive. Non-invasive BCIs, which don't require surgery and often rely on external sensors to detect the electrical signals in the brain, have been in development for decades. Invasive BCIs, which aim to record and stimulate brain function, represent a new frontier for technology. The buzziest BCI these days is Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is developing a device that will be embedded in a person's brain to record and stimulate activity. Musk's ambitions are to create a "symbiosis" between the human brain and AI. But there are a host of other companies working on BCIs as a way to mitigate symptoms or cure terminal diseases, like Precision Neuroscience. Over the next year, the company will prepare for the first human studies of its permanently implanted devices. Its goal is to help paralyzed people get "back to a level of functional capacity where they can be significantly independent, economically self-sufficient, and hold a job in the workplace," Rapoport said. And getting the data for that doesn't have to be as complicated as, well, brain surgery.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ex-Doge employee ‘Big Balls' gets new Trump administration position
Edward Coristine – the 19-year-old who quit Elon Musk's controversial, so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) earlier this week, where he gained notoriety in part for having used the online moniker 'Big Balls' – has in fact been given a new government job, this time at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Coristine, whose lack of experience and super-loyalty to Musk saw him become a flashpoint for outrage at Doge's ruthless but haphazard efforts to slash government spending and fire thousands of workers, resigned from Doge earlier this week. However a spokesperson for SSA, Stephen McGraw, told Wired magazine that he was now working for that department. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people,' McGraw told Wired. Coristine may have previously worked for the SSA, but reporting on his employment history is conflicted. Doge caused chaos early on in the new Trump administration by muscling into dozens of departments and forcing access to computer systems, in a blaze of publicity and combative announcements. A high school graduate, Coristine's experience before Doge was largely limited to a few months working for Neuralink – which Musk owns – and as an intern for a cybersecurity company, which Bloomberg reported fired him for leaking company secrets. Reuters also reported that Coristine had provided tech support to a cybercrime gang that had bragged about trafficking in stolen data and harassing an FBI agent. At Doge, Coristine was dropped into several major government agencies as they went about slashing services and terminating thousands of workers. Last month, Reuters reported that Coristine was one of two Doge associates promoting the use of artificial intelligence AI across the federal bureaucracy. Musk also left Doge in May after months working by Donald Trump's side then falling out with him. Doge, however, continued to operate until Trump's budget chief, hard right nationalist Russell Vought, who says he wants government employees 'in trauma'. On Friday the Washington Post reported, citing anonymous sources, that Doge's latest target was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), attempting to slash gun restrictions. Nick Robins-Early and Reuters contributed reporting
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Big Balls' now working at Social Security Administration after departing DOGE: report
Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old nicknamed 'Big Balls' who was working in the Department of Government Efficiency, has landed a new role at the Social Security Administration. Coristine, who was hired by Elon Musk to join the DOGE team, recently left the White House but a Social Security Administration spokesperson confirmed he has since joined the agency as a special government employee. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee,' spokesperson Stephen McGraw told WIRED. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' It was not immediately clear when Coristine started his new role. Sources told the outlet that Coristine 'looked nervous' and 'almost embarrassed' after being spotted at the agency's Woodlawn headquarters in Maryland this week. He was seen with DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi, another Musk hire who is working for X and Neuralink. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' the source told WIRED. 'Aram was on the phone with someone … then said 'Yes I'm with him right now,' gesturing to Big Balls.'' Coristine's appointment at the agency follows a recent report that Musk and allies insisted on giving a 21-year-old former Silicon Valley intern sweeping access to personal data on hundreds of millions of Americans at the Social Security Administration. Musk ordered 21-year-old Akash Bobba, a former Palantir intern who'd been hired as a programmer for DOGE, be granted access to Social Security data without proper training so he could run his own analysis, The New York Times reported. When the acting commissioner, Michelle King, declined to do so, Musk had her fired and replaced with Leland Dudek. Dudek, brought back from a suspension on the DOGE team's recommendation, got Bobba the access. Coristine was first selected to work for the Tesla boss as a technologist, and received full-time staff status at the General Services Administration last month. Coristine became well known online and among Musk's immense fanbase publicly after he was paraded on Fox News alongside his boss. 'Who is Big Balls?' host Jesse Watters asked on his program, surrounded by DOGE members and supporters at a huge oval conference table. 'I am,' piped up 19-year-old DOGE staff member Edward Coristine. 'That should be obvious,' Musk quipped to laughter. Coristine claimed to have caught the eye of the world's richest man after simply changing his name on LinkedIn to 'Big Balls.' In addition to his brief stint as a government employee, the teenage high school graduate worked at Neuralink for several months and founded a company called LLC in 2021, according to WIRED. Speaking to Fox News, Coristine stated that while working in the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, he used 'computer stuff' as he claimed to ferret out 'fraud and waste,' the old mantra of his former boss. With additional reporting from Mike Bedigan
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘Big Balls' now working at Social Security Administration after departing DOGE: report
Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old nicknamed 'Big Balls' who was working in the Department of Government Efficiency, has landed a new role at the Social Security Administration. Coristine, who was hired by Elon Musk to join the DOGE team, recently left the White House but a Social Security Administration spokesperson confirmed he has since joined the agency as a special government employee. 'Edward Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee,' spokesperson Stephen McGraw told WIRED. 'His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people.' It was not immediately clear when Coristine started his new role. Sources told the outlet that Coristine 'looked nervous' and 'almost embarrassed' after being spotted at the agency's Woodlawn headquarters in Maryland this week. He was seen with DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi, another Musk hire who is working for X and Neuralink. 'Coristine looked nervous, almost embarrassed,' the source told WIRED. 'Aram was on the phone with someone … then said 'Yes I'm with him right now,' gesturing to Big Balls.'' Coristine's appointment at the agency follows a recent report that Musk and allies insisted on giving a 21-year-old former Silicon Valley intern sweeping access to personal data on hundreds of millions of Americans at the Social Security Administration. Musk ordered 21-year-old Akash Bobba, a former Palantir intern who'd been hired as a programmer for DOGE, be granted access to Social Security data without proper training so he could run his own analysis, The New York Times reported. When the acting commissioner, Michelle King, declined to do so, Musk had her fired and replaced with Leland Dudek. Dudek, brought back from a suspension on the DOGE team's recommendation, got Bobba the access. Coristine was first selected to work for the Tesla boss as a technologist, and received full-time staff status at the General Services Administration last month. Coristine became well known online and among Musk's immense fanbase publicly after he was paraded on Fox News alongside his boss. 'Who is Big Balls?' host Jesse Watters asked on his program, surrounded by DOGE members and supporters at a huge oval conference table. 'I am,' piped up 19-year-old DOGE staff member Edward Coristine. 'That should be obvious,' Musk quipped to laughter. Coristine claimed to have caught the eye of the world's richest man after simply changing his name on LinkedIn to 'Big Balls.' In addition to his brief stint as a government employee, the teenage high school graduate worked at Neuralink for several months and founded a company called LLC in 2021, according to WIRED. Speaking to Fox News, Coristine stated that while working in the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, he used 'computer stuff' as he claimed to ferret out 'fraud and waste,' the old mantra of his former boss.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Big Balls' Quits: 19-Year-Old Musk Protégé Leaves U.S. Government Post
Edward Coristine — perhaps better known by his self-appointed online nickname 'Big Balls' — has resigned from the U.S. government. A White House official confirmed to WIRED that the 19-year-old stepped down Monday from his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The unofficial agency once led by tech billionaire Elon Musk was tasked with slashing federal spending and cutting jobs. Musk, the world's richest person, quit last month and then spent days slamming President Donald Trump over his proposed spending bill. Coristine's appointment to DOGE earlier this year ― alongside multiple other Gen Zers ― had raised eyebrows at the time over his young age and lack of experience, his access to sensitive government systems and his moniker. Before joining DOGE, he'd interned at Musk's brain-computer interface startup Neuralink Coristine used the 'Big Balls' name on social platforms. In a Fox News interview last month, he explained: 'People on LinkedIn take themselves like super seriously and they are pretty averse to risk, and I was like, well, I want to be neither of those things so I just set it and honestly, I didn't think anyone would notice.' Watch that interview here: Coristine has not commented publicly on his departure. Trump Makes 'Super' Awkward Gaffe While Ranting About Iran Trump Admin Slammed For Backing 'Downright Sadistic And Inhumane' Plan Marjorie Taylor Greene Flips Out Over 'Dirty Rumors' About Her And Trump
