Mind games

Hi there, this is Sarah McBride in San Francisco. The CEO of Synchron envisions a future where it’s commonplace to interact with computers u [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi there, this is Sarah McBride in San Francisco. The CEO of Synchron envisions a future where it’s commonplace to interact with computers using only your brain. But first… Today’s must-reads: • Zelle [emerged as a surprise villain]( during Senate Banking Committee hearings • Amazon got an [NFL streaming win]( with 13 million viewers in its debut • Apple fixed iPhone 14 bugs, including a [shaky camera issue]( “The future of personal computing” Earlier this month, I pulled on a helmet covered with sensors and sat down to play a video game. My hands were still; to play the game, I moved my face. Each time I tensed my cheek muscle under my right eye, it caused a cat projected in front of me to move right. Each squeeze under my left eye caused a lurch leftward. The feline raced through an alley eating fishbones while dodging rats and garbage cans. The game came to exist thanks to OpenBCI Inc., a Brooklyn-based company working on tools for neuroscientists and others. OpenBCI’s Galea helmet—named after the headgear worn by Roman soldiers—aims to give scientists feedback from facial muscles, eye movements and the like. The data will then aid them in the development of their own research and medical devices. “The whole point is to make entry as easy as possible for newcomers to the industry,” said Conor Russomanno, OpenBCI’s co-founder and chief executive officer. The helmet itself, and supporting software, costs around $25,000. Customers including neuroscientists, researchers, gaming companies and flight simulator companies have preordered the latest version of Galea, scheduled to ship next year. OpenBCI’s technology speaks to the explosion of excitement around neuroscience startups and so-called brain computer interface companies. Elon Musk’s Neuralink is the most famous. In anarticle Friday, I wrote about the news that Inner Cosmos had successfully implanted electrodes within the bone of a patient’s skull in a bid to treat severe depression. Strictly speaking, a BCI should stimulate the cells in our brains known as neurons, read signals sent by neurons and use the information to control some kind of external device like a computer mouse. Some scientists use the term BCI for devices that don’t penetrate deeply into the brain, and BMI, or brain-machine interface, for devices that go deeply enough into tissue that they interface on a neuron-by-neuron level. Increasingly, the terms are used interchangeably. It’s still up for debate how many people will want their brain under the knife to help treat an ailment—even a life-altering one like paralysis. But a growing cohort of neuroscientists go further than that, believing healthy people will start to want implanted electrodes to assist even with mundane things like rapidly firing off text messages by thinking them instead of manually hitting buttons. “BCI is going to create these digital outputs that go beyond what your 10 fingers can do,” said Tom Oxley, CEO of Synchron Inc., a BCI company that recently put its device in its first US patient. “This is the future of personal computing.” Oxley believes that if the required chips can be implanted simply, as an outpatient procedure, they will become as accepted and routine as Lasik, a once-futuristic procedure that has become common. Russomanno of OpenBCI is focusing on the nearer term. “The next generation of headsets is going to be a full-blown computer that you wear on your head,” he said, with different variations for home or work. Only half jokingly, he said people will be more leery of getting Botox so they can retain full use of their facial muscles for controlling the devices. And he personally has learned to wiggle each eyebrow independently to better control the software hands-free. He’s working on mastering the same technique for each ear. I’m not quite there yet. My score on the video game was 4,760, which OpenBCI Chief Commercial Officer Joseph Artuso described as “not bad for a first timer.” Russomanno is the champion, with a score of 16,010. In my defense, Artuso said, “Conor has had A LOT of practice.” —[Sarah McBride](mailto:smcbride24@bloomberg.net) The big story The sneaky genius of Apple’s AirPods empire. More than anything else Apple sells, the humble AirPod illustrates why the company has prospered so much under CEO Tim Cook—and why it’s unlikely to see real challengers anytime soon. [An AirPods appreciation](. What else you need to know Apple Music is taking over from Pepsi as [the presenter]( of the Super Bowl halftime show. Don’t spy on employees to make sure they’re working, [Microsoft says](. A judge ruled that Elon Musk can use a $7.8 million [severance payment to a Twitter whistle-blower]( to argue he was justified in walking away from his $44 billion buyout of the company. You won’t see any beer ads on [Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football.”]( A correction: Thursday’s newsletter incorrectly stated Twitter’s edit button rolled out to users this week—it will actually launch in the coming weeks. The company previously told Bloomberg that it debuted Wednesday, but has since clarified that the feature is only currently available in a limited test for employees. The irony of issuing a correction on a piece about the edit button is not lost on us. Follow Us More from Bloomberg Dig gadgets or video games? [Sign up for Power On]( to get Apple scoops, consumer tech news and more in your inbox on Sundays. [Sign up for Game On]( to go deep inside the video game business, delivered on Fridays. Why not try both? Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights.​​​​​​​ You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Fully Charged newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](