Vikash Gilja is an assistant professor at UCSD, where he researchers brain-machine interfaces. Dr. Gilja is an advisor to Paradromics. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University, an M.Eng and B.S. in EECS from MIT, and a B.S. in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT. Rob Edgington is the head of AI at Paradromics. He holds a Ph.D. in brain-machine interfaces from UCL, and an M.Phys in physics from the University of Oxford. Konrad Kording is a full professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he works on data problems in neuroscience. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from ETH Zurich. Top 3 Takeaways * Basic neuroscience and neural engineering can and should co-evolve, much the same as physics and electrical engineering. * More granular understandings from neuroscience help inform machine learning models applied in neurotechnology. * Speech prostheses are a promising area for modern BMIs. Show Notes * [1:10] Rob’s introduction. * [1:24] Konrad’s introduction. * [1:35] Vikash’s introduction. * [1:47] Avery’s introduction. * [2:05] Neuroscience vs. neurotechnology. * [2:55] Basic science and causality. * [3:35] Definition of causality. * [6:10] Closed-loops require causal models. * [8:15] Visual system as closing the loop. * [9:55] Electrical engineering is an analogy to neural engineering. * [12:20] Modern BMI devices. * [13:00] More data means more degrees of freedom. * [15:15] Distributed recordings. * [19:40] Data processing constraints in BMI. * [20:00] Ontology refinement. * [22:35] Timescale of tool development. * [23:45] Future-proofing a BMI. * [25:00] On-chip processing. * [26:00] Evolution of BMIs. * [27:15] Industry is good for integrating engineering constraints. * [29:30] Estimating intended speech. * [30:20] Neurotech for locked-in patients. * [32:30] Visual communication. * [34:00] ML vs. DL in neurotech. * [37:00] Better models are inspired by basic science. * [38:35] Hiring in neurotechnology. Selected Links * Paradromics * The Neurotechnology Age – Matt Angle, CEO Paradromics Related Podcasts * 010 – Matt Angle * 026 – Gordon Wilson * 027 – Marc Ferro Disclaimer