Gabe Newell, the founder of Valve, has shown his support for a new startup, Starfish Technologies, which focuses on creating brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for the treatment of neurological disorders. This was reported by TechSpot.
Starfish Technologies is not connected to the gaming industry but is focused on medical applications. The company plans to release its first chips by the end of 2025. Developers are working on compact, energy-efficient, and wireless implants that can read and stimulate activity in multiple areas of the brain.
The technology targets disorders related to disrupted neural connections, such as Parkinson's disease. Starfish is actively seeking partners in the fields of wireless power transfer, neurointerfaces, and communication systems.
Valve has previously explored brain implants in a gaming context, and interest in this technology is also shown by Sony, Tencent, and Apple. However, Starfish intends to initially focus on medical use cases.
Starfish has already released technical specifications for its chip. The device measures 2×4 mm and consumes just 1.1 mW of power during standard recording. It can record brain activity (spikes and local field potentials) from 16 channels simultaneously at a frequency of 18.75 kHz, using 32 electrodes. The chip also supports electrical stimulation, has built-in impedance monitoring, voltage measurement during stimulation, and digital signal processing, allowing it to operate through low-speed wireless interfaces. Chip production is carried out using TSMC's 55 nm process.
Interestingly, Starfish's main competitor is Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk. Neuralink is already testing its BCI systems on humans — the first patient received an implant in January 2024, and so far its functionality is maintained despite some disconnection of threads.
Neuralink uses a larger implant with 1024 electrodes, consuming about 6 mW of power and requiring periodic wireless charging. The company targets both medical and experimental scenarios for brain interface applications.
