Neurotech Pub Neurotechnology Startups and the E Word
Jun 2, 2021
Ana Maiques, CEO of Neuroelectrics, builds clinical non‑invasive brain stimulation. Anna Wexler, UPenn neuroethicist, studies DIY and consumer brain tech. Stephanie Naufel Thacker, program manager at Facebook Reality Labs, runs neuroethics collaborations. Karen Rommelfanger, Emory neuroethicist, designs societal frameworks. They discuss embedding ethicists in industry, neural data privacy and technical protections, what different modalities can and cannot reveal, and missing voices in policy.
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Convene Cross‑Sector Workshops To Shape Data Practices
- Stephanie will convene a workshop with Columbia NeuroRights to assess optical BCI, EMG decoding, and a neural data sharing ecosystem.
- She advises cross-sector discussion (academia, startups, big tech) to predefine data flows and research goals.
Technical Privacy Tools Can Mitigate Neural Data Risk
- Stephanie highlights engineering privacy tools like federated learning and differential privacy as concrete ways to limit neural data exposure.
- These ML techniques can keep raw signals local and only share model parameters or noisy aggregates to reduce identifiability.
Optical BCIs Decode Hemodynamics Not Direct Thoughts
- Optical approaches like fNIRS record hemodynamic signals (a 'pulse oximeter for your head') and infer neural activity via neurovascular coupling.
- Spatial field-of-view limits what can be decoded; targeting speech motor cortex differs from visual cortex capabilities.