We are pleased to announce that the first Kernel Flux system will be delivered to the world, and our first customer, this summer. 

But first, on March 6th, 2021, the system architecture and performance of its dense array of optically-pumped magnetometers will debut at Photonics West, in a technical presentation designed for OP-MEG experts.

The tl;dr for the rest of us: We did it. Flux is unrivaled in the quality, speed and amount of neural activity it can record non-invasively and in real time.

Until now, every type of data one could acquire directly from the human brain came with severe limitations. To get the best hemodynamic or electrical data, for example, the person and their brain needed to be almost perfectly still, typically by confinement in loud and claustrophobic environments. And if the person was able to move around freely and naturally, the data quality quickly dropped until it was useless. 

We’ve spent the last three years meticulously building an MEG-based brain interface designed to overcome these limitations and provide the world’s highest quality direct signals of neural activity, while allowing the user to move as naturally as possible.   

With Flux, you will be able to:

• Walk into a natural room setting, put a helmet on your head, and watch your real-time brain activity at the full speed your neurons are firing;
• Speak, gesture and move as you would naturally;
• Participate in a video conference call, daydream, listen to music, or read a book;
• Access your brain activity from the highest number of electrophysiological sensor channels from every region of your cortex.

These capabilities open up exciting new opportunities for understanding how and why the brain operates. Some of our first partnerships are targeting biomarkers for cognitive health, concussion, TBI, and social interaction. Others are sticking to tried-and-true functional imaging of brain networks and regions. And, we can’t wait to get going with future partners in entertainment, athletics, gaming, personal improvement, sleep, mindfulness, and learning. 

What can’t Flux do?  ‍

Flux + Flow

What about Kernel Flow, you ask? Are these the same technologies? Different? 

In October of 2020, we announced Flow, a full-head coverage, TD-fNIRS system, which is the first high-quality, scalable brain imaging system of its kind and which looks at hemodynamic signals generated by oxygen use in the brain, a good proxy for neural activity. Together, Flow and Flux capture two of the highest quality and most meaningful signals one can capture about the brain non-invasively: oxygenation of blood and direct neuronal activity. There are benefits and drawbacks to what each of these technologies reveal about the brain’s mysteries—together, however, Kernel Flux and Flow will combine into the richest neural data sets in history, collected at a record speed.‍

A new era is here. One where we will be reintroduced to ourselves and each other in unique ways. Empowered to step outward into a new frontier. And journey inwards.