Duo AI - August Appendix

The speaker announces a strategic pivot from voice AI to brain-computer interfaces, emphasizing the similarities in solving problems related to signal processing. They highlight innovations in optical and electrophysiological imaging, aiming to achieve real-time brain activity mapping with high spatial resolution. The company is developing a sensor that combines advanced imaging techniques to enhance AI model training. They address organizational changes, with Peter Neil potentially leading the existing company, Duo, while the speaker focuses on the new venture, River. The goal is to release products, secure distribution, and maintain a competitive edge in spatial resolution technology.

• The speaker announces a strategic shift from voice AI services to brain-computer interfaces (BCI), emphasizing it as a slow pivot.
• The transition is framed as a natural progression due to the similarity in solving problems related to capturing and interpreting signals.
• The current work involves converting sound waves into language, whereas the new focus will be on capturing brain activity directly to generate computer commands and language.

"We are pivoting to brain-computer interfaces and this is going to be a slow pivot."

• The company is transitioning its focus toward brain-computer interfaces, indicating a shift in strategic direction.

"The problems that we are solving with brain-computer interfaces are very similar to those that we are solving with voice AI at the moment."

• The shift to BCI is seen as a continuation of the company's existing work, with similar underlying challenges and goals.

• The speaker expresses a long-term vision of creating a sustainable company with a market monopoly lasting over a century.
• The crowded nature of the voice AI market is highlighted as a barrier, particularly in terms of raising capital and competition.
• The speaker identifies the hardware constraints in brain activity reading as a solvable problem and an opportunity for innovation.

"I think I probably have 50 years of life left on this earth. And the only thing I want to accomplish in the time I have left is to create a company that lasts for at least a 100 years and has a monopoly on its market."

• The speaker shares a personal ambition to build a lasting and dominant company, emphasizing the importance of long-term impact.

"The voice AI space has become very crowded, and I have found it challenging to raise the capital that we need to knock out some of the competitors."

• The competitive nature of the voice AI industry is seen as a hindrance to growth and investment, influencing the pivot to BCI.

• The speaker discusses the development of new hardware using optical and electrophysiological imaging to achieve high spatial resolution at a lower cost.
• The technology aims to provide wearables with spatial resolution comparable to fMRI, utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

"Let's have a look at some of this hardware that we have been cooking up in my garage using optical and electrophysiological imaging to provide wearable spatial resolution approaching that of fMRI at a fraction of the cost."

• The speaker highlights ongoing hardware development efforts, aiming to create cost-effective solutions with advanced imaging capabilities.

"Most of you are probably familiar with functional near-infrared spectroscopy, which uses light in the 600 to 900 nanometer wavelengths to penetrate."

• The speaker introduces fNIRS as a key technology in their hardware development, indicating its role in achieving the desired spatial resolution.

• Photon Absorption and Neural Activity: Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood absorb photons differently, revealing neural activity as blood flow increases to replenish active areas.
• fNIRS Limitations: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) indicates activity but lacks precise spatial localization, similar to hearing a train without knowing its exact location.
• High-Density Diffused Optical Tomography: By spacing emitters and detectors closely, photons can travel deeper, providing clearer brain activity images through modulation techniques like time division multiplexing.
• Spatial and Depth Sensitivity: Packing sensors with 6.5 mm spacing yields spatial resolution between 7-10 mm and depth sensitivity of 25 mm.
• Real-Time Imaging: Detecting neuron action potentials through photon scattering offers real-time imaging with 5-10 mm spatial resolution and millisecond latency.

"Oxygenated and deoxygenated blood absorb photons from this light differently. Since brain activity consumes energy, blood flow increases afterwards to replenish the previously active area, giving us a lagging indicator that we can measure."

• Blood flow changes are used as indirect indicators of neural activity, highlighting the lag in detecting real-time brain processes.

"It's like if you put your ear to the train tracks and you can hear that a train is coming, but you can't tell exactly where the train is."

• fNIRS provides general awareness of brain activity but lacks precise localization, akin to hearing a distant sound without visual confirmation.

"The more spacing there is between an emitter and a detector, the deeper the banana path the photons travel."

• Increased spacing between emitters and detectors allows photons to penetrate deeper into brain tissue, enhancing the depth of imaging.

"When you put many emitters and detectors very close together, each receiver is getting photons from many different emitters."

• Close placement of emitters and detectors improves spatial resolution by capturing photons from multiple sources.

"Realtime imaging with 5 to 10 millimeters of spatial resolution."

• Advanced techniques enable real-time brain imaging with high spatial resolution, crucial for precise neural activity mapping.

• Postsynaptic Potentials: Electrophysiological imaging focuses on measuring postsynaptic potentials as electrical activity travels through brain structures to the scalp.
• EEG Characteristics: Electroencephalography (EEG) has low spatial resolution but benefits from low latency, making it useful for capturing fast brain processes.

"Electrophysiological imaging is still incredibly useful and here we're primarily measuring postsynaptic potentials in aggregate as electrical activity propagates through brain tissue."

• Electrophysiological imaging captures aggregate electrical activity, providing valuable insights despite its spatial limitations.

"While EEG has relatively poor spatial resolution, it's very low latency."

• EEG's rapid response time makes it effective for detecting quick neural events, despite its inability to pinpoint exact locations.

• The detection of visual evoked potentials is possible by observing specific frequency signals in the occipital lobes when a person looks at a pulsating light source.
• Traditional EEG electrodes made from silver-silver chloride are uncomfortable due to their hard and sharp nature.
• A new innovation involves using plastic for electrodes, which traditionally are insulators due to single carbon bonds trapping electrons.

"The key innovation on the electrophysiological side is in chemical engineering. The gold standard for EEG electrodes is silver silver chloride. But these are often hard and sharp and they cut into the skin making it very uncomfortable to wear over an extended period of time. So we use plastic."

• The quote highlights the discomfort associated with traditional EEG electrodes and introduces the use of plastic as a more comfortable alternative.

• Conductive polymers are created by forming plastics with alternating single and double carbon bonds, resulting in a conjugated backbone that allows electron flow.
• The polymerization of the heterocyclic compound thophane forms a conductive polymer that is both soft and flexible.
• The specific polymer used is poly 34 ethylene dioxyophene polycarin sulfonate, mixed with dopants and organic cross-linkers to enhance conductivity and comfort.

"In its monomer form, the heterosyclic compound thophane acts as an insulator. But in its polymer form, it creates a conjugated backbone which allows electrons to flow through forming a conductive polymer."

• This quote explains the transformation of thophane from an insulating monomer to a conductive polymer, emphasizing the innovation in creating comfortable, conductive materials.

• The resulting polymer is soft, flexible, and has conductivity close to that of copper and silver.
• It is electrically stable with low skin contact impedance below 10 kiloohms, enhancing comfort and performance in EEG applications.

"The end result it's super comfortable to where it's soft and flexible. It has conductivity approaching that of copper and silver. It's very electrically stable and it has low skin contact app below 10 kiloohms."

• This quote summarizes the key benefits of the new polymer, focusing on its comfort, flexibility, and high conductivity.

• Collaborations with experts such as Sam Sutton, who is developing ionic polymers that interface with biological tissue, are ongoing.
• These polymers transduce ionic signals from postsynaptic activity into electronic signals, which are then processed and transmitted.

"My mate Sam Sutton in the United Kingdom is working on an ionic polymer that interfaces with with biological tissue by transducing ionic signals originating from post synaptic activity into electronic signals."

• The quote introduces future advancements in polymer technology, highlighting the potential for improved biological interfacing.

• The discussion provided a simplified overview of the hardware innovations in EEG technology, particularly the development of conductive polymers.
• Future conversations with experts like Sam Sutton are anticipated to further explore these advancements.

"So this has been a very simplified overview of the hardware innovation that we have been working on that fuses high density diffused optical tom."

• This quote concludes the discussion, acknowledging the complexity of the topic and the potential for further exploration.

• Introduction of a new technology involving high-definition optical imaging.
• This technology captures real-time deformations in brain tissue during action potentials.
• The imaging is integrated into a compact 50x50 mm sensor.
• The technology is designed for startups and researchers to train and deploy AI models on brain data.

"Ography which is like high definition fneers realtime optical imaging of brain tissue deformations that occur during action potentials and electrophysiological imaging into one tiny 50x 50 mm sensor that startups and researchers can use to train and deploy AI models on brain data."

• The quote describes the innovative imaging technology and its applications for AI model training.

• The current structure involves two distinct entities.
• Necessity to house intellectual property and accommodate angel investors.
• Importance of maintaining equal exposure for friends on the cap table.
• Discussion on the future operational roles within the company.

"So, right now they exist as two distinct entities and it just kind of happened that way because we needed a place to put all of this intellectual property and there were also some angel investors who wanted to work with us who could not have worked with us at Duo's valuation."

• The quote explains the reasoning behind having two separate entities and the involvement of angel investors.

• Mention of Peter Neil, the second in command, potentially taking a leadership role.
• Consideration of experience and capability for operational management.
• An investor has also offered to run the company.

"For example, my second in command, Peter Neil, um has been working with me at Duo since the beginning and is quite keen to operate the company. Um it's not a role he has any kind of experience in, but I think it's one he is capable of."

• The quote highlights the potential leadership role of Peter Neil and the consideration of his capabilities.

• Ongoing engagement with stakeholders for opinions and feedback.
• Plans to update stakeholders on the proposed structure in September.
• Decision to continue operating Duo as is for the time being.

"Um, and if you have any opinions on this, in the meantime, I would love to hear from you. Um, and I'm actively engaging all stakeholders."

• The quote emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement and openness to feedback.

• Duo expected to generate more short-term revenue compared to River.
• Long-term potential of River to outlast other ventures.
• Focus on product release, distribution, and building a strong team for the BCI side.

"Um, and of course the revenue that we'll generate in the short term with Duo will far surpass the revenue that River will generate in the short term. Though I think on the lifetime metric, River will outlast us all."

• The quote discusses the financial outlook and long-term potential of the companies involved.