Brain Co-Processors Moonshot Project
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) initiated a groundbreaking project on March 4 to develop brain co-processors. These are designed to enhance or restore brain functions using neuromorphic hardware and AI algorithms.
Project Overview
- Funded by the Pratiksha Trust, established by Senapathy ‘Kris’ Gopalakrishnan and Sudha Gopalakrishnan.
- Aims to position India as a leader in neuroscience by merging research with clinical applications.
- The project is a continuation of a pilot from IISc's Brain, Computation and Data Science initiative.
- Involves over 20 faculty members from various departments.
Project Goals
- Develop implantable and non-invasive co-processors to decode, process, and re-encode brain activity.
- Targeted at cognitive rehabilitation, especially for stroke survivors to restore functionalities like goal-directed reach and grasp.
- Create an AI-powered device for enhancing coordinated movement.
Indigenisation and Impact
The project emphasizes indigenous development of implants, hardware, and AI to align with clinical infrastructure, especially in low-resource settings.
- Development of India-specific databases of stereo EEG and ECoG recordings.
- Creation of digital public goods through open-source AI, datasets, and visualization tools.
Conclusion
The project integrates advanced neural recording, AI-driven inference, and closed-loop stimulation for personalized rehabilitation. It addresses the critical challenge of stroke rehabilitation, bringing together experts from various fields such as neuroscience, electrical engineering, and bioelectronics.
