As a mage, I just want to pursue the truth

Chapter 38 Apple's Flexible Tradition

Invasive brain-computer connection devices require electrodes to be implanted into the human cerebral cortex to obtain neural signals, which can easily cause bacterial infection. Therefore, the FDA has been reluctant to allow Neuralink to conduct large-scale human trials.

The human brain emits neural signals all the time. These signals are captured by motor sensors, but there will be a lot of "noise", making it impossible for the device to accurately identify the true intentions of the human brain.

Zheng Li's method is to extract the main signal through filtering algorithm and Fourier transform, and then analyze it through the algorithm combined with the eye nerve signal to analyze its true intention.

Neuralink's method is to implant electrodes into the human brain. If the cerebral cortex is not enough, I will implant them deeper into the skull layer.

This method is extremely harmful to the human body.

Musk was even more angry: "Why are people already making progress in non-invasive brain-computer connection, and you told me four years ago that non-invasive brain-computer connection is impossible?"

"You spent 1.5 million dollars, and so far you have only had success with pigs and monkeys?"

Neuralink has completed its A and B rounds of financing, with the main source of funds coming from Musk, totaling 1.58 million US dollars in financing.

Hordak murmured, "Synchron has only completed experiments on animals. Non-invasive brain-computer connection methods have not been effective before, so mainstream companies in the industry have not conducted research along this route."

Synchron is Neuralink's benchmark company, and the market valuation of the two companies is similar.

Unlike Neuralink, which wants to develop into the consumer industry, Synchron is more interested in focusing on three medical vertical fields: neurorepair, neuromodulation and neurodiagnosis.

Musk asked seriously: "Why did we implant thin-film polymer probes into the human scalp last year, but this year we have become coin-shaped micro devices?"

Neuralink's new product for 2020 requires removing a small piece of a person's skull and then implanting a tiny device.

It is much more radical than the 2019 version, Hodak explained: "Because last year's film polymer is a flexible material, the implantation surgery is cumbersome and the implantation failure rate is close to ten percent."

"Although our new device requires cutting off a small piece of the skull, the difficulty of the operation is actually reduced."

Musk asked: "If you were a customer, would you choose Sinovation's brain-computer connection product or our brain-computer connection product?"

"Compared with Kechuang Biotechnology, we have no advantage at all."

Hordak shook his head violently: "No, we still have a chance!"

"According to statistics, the recognition rate of Kechuang Biotechnology's brain-computer interface in European and American languages ​​is 70 percent."

"As long as we know their technical means and follow their technical route, we will be the first to achieve a recognition rate of 99 percent for European and American languages."

"We will be the ones who succeed. Kechuang Biotechnology occupies the Chinese market, and we occupy the European and American markets. In the field of brain-computer connection, we still have room for survival."

Kechuang Biotechnology's brain-computer connection devices are mainly used in the mobile phone industry. Synchron has no overlap with their main business. Instead, Musk's Neuralink is Kechuang Biotechnology's direct competitor in the field of brain-computer connection.

Musk: "Because you still have a chance, you are still standing here talking to me."

"I asked SpaceX's laboratory to conduct preliminary research on Kechuang Biotechnology's technology. They have made a breakthrough in chips. Their chips can filter out the noise of neural signals first."

"Then there is the algorithm. The standardized API interface they provide processes the signals collected by the chip through an algorithm to obtain the neural signal that is closest to the user's true intention."

"Algorithm engineers speculate that Kechuang Biotechnology has adopted a new algorithm that combines common algorithms such as sparse representation, discrete wavelet transform, and Fourier transform." "Since the sample provided by Kechuang Biotechnology is a closed package, it will take time to decode it."

"You guys do the research on the chip first, and then we can develop a similar chip by bypassing the patent of Sinovation Biotechnology."

"I will let SpaceX take full responsibility for the algorithm, and then you can form a cooperative team to complete this task together."

"In addition, we can recruit researchers from Kechuang Biotechnology. We need to know their technical routes."

"One year, I'll give you one year at most!" Musk finally roared.

Neuralink's technical accumulation is still very strong, and Musk gave a year based on the idea that they would know the technical route of Ke Chuang Bio.

Hodak remembered something: "Danny Lee, the head of the research department of the Sino-Biotech Lion City R&D Center, was previously the leader of a research team in our company."

"We can dig him up."

Musk agreed: "Okay, if he's willing to come back, give him the position of head of the R&D department."

All the major technology companies in America received samples from Apple.

Apple organized people to test the product as soon as it got it, and found the results were amazing.

Apple tried to crack the program itself but found that it could not unpack it and there were many unclear aspects of the chip, so it sent it to related technology companies, hoping to use their help to crack the secrets of Ke Chuang Bio.

"There is still time before the iPhone 13 is launched. We can definitely add the brain-computer connection device to the iPhone 13. An iPhone that can be controlled by the brain will definitely be a groundbreaking product!"

If it were other mobile phone brands whose new technologies came out half a year later than those of their peers, they would have died out long ago.

But the iPhone is different. After the Android camp launched full-screen phones on a large scale, the iPhoneX, which was launched half a year later, still sold well.

Although Android phones have frequently launched foldable screen phones, there are still a large number of consumers who expect Apple to release a foldable screen phone.

This is the appeal and charm of the iPhone. It truly takes product strength to the extreme, and users want the iPhone.

At this time, Cook was having a remote video conference with Isabel, the head of Greater China. Cook had reservations about Isabel's proposal:
"The recognition rate of Kechuang Bio's brain-computer connection chip is too low for American users, which means that it can only be launched in Greater China for the Greater China-exclusive iPhone."

"This is not in line with the usual practice of iPhone. We can wait until the technology matures in most parts of the world before adding brain-computer connection function to iPhone."

Isabel disagreed with Cook's opinion: "I'm sorry, I totally disagree with you. In the past, there was a tradition of releasing a new iPad at the iPhone's annual autumn conference."

(There is no difference between you and you in English, so I will use you here)
“Now this tradition is gone.”

"In the past, iPhones would come with chargers and earphones, but this tradition is gone."

"The iPhone must remain consistent worldwide, but traditions can change!"

(End of this chapter)