Neuralink Rival Science Corp Restores Vision with New Eye Chip
- Max Hodak’s Science Corp is launching a retinal implant called Prima which successfully restored reading ability in 80 percent of trial patients
- The company aims to move beyond metal electrodes by using optogenetics and lab-grown neurons to create bio-hybrid interfaces with the human brain
- Hodak predicts that by 2035 the technology will allow terminally ill patients to upload their consciousness to digital substrates to avoid death
Max Hodak is a man who builds the future while wearing a black zipup hoodie. He stood on a stage recently and pitched a vision that makes Elon Musk look conservative. Hodak is the cofounder of Neuralink. He spent years running the daytoday operations for the world's most famous brain interface company. He left that highprofile role in 2021. Now he is back with a new venture called Science Corp. His goal is not just to link brains to computers. He wants to rewrite the fundamental laws of human biology.
The industry surrounding braincomputer interfaces is exploding. World Economic Forum data shows that nearly 700 companies globally now have ties to this technology. The competition includes giants like Microsoft and Apple. China has even released a national plan to become the global leader in this sector by 2030. Hodak is aware of the crowded field. He is betting that his approach is different enough to win. He believes the current methods of drilling into the skull are too crude to scale.
Science Corp is starting with the eye. Their flagship product is a retinal implant called Prima. It is a tiny computer chip smaller than a grain of rice. The device bypasses damaged photoreceptors in the eye. It stimulates the bipolar cells directly to restore sight. The company acquired this technology from a French firm called Pixium Vision. They refined it and pushed it through clinical trials.
The results of these trials are stunning. The study involved 38 patients suffering from advanced macular degeneration. The data shows that 80 percent of them regained the ability to read. They could process two letters at a time. This is "form vision" rather than just vague light perception. Hodak claims this is the first time fluent reading has been restored in blind patients. He expects to launch the product in Europe next summer.
The business model relies on highticket medical procedures. Hodak estimates the initial cost will be around $200,000 per patient. The company needs only 50 patients a month to become profitable. This financial roadmap sets Science Corp apart from many researchheavy startups that burn cash for decades without a product. They are building a real business today to fund the science fiction of tomorrow.
That science fiction involves a technique called optogenetics. This method uses light instead of electricity to control neurons. The current standard in BCI involves shoving electrodes into brain tissue. Hodak argues this causes damage and limits the number of connection points. His team is engineering cells to be lightsensitive. They want to communicate with the brain using photons rather than metal wires.
The most radical idea is the biohybrid interface. Science Corp is experimenting with growing new brain tissue on a device that looks like a tiny waffle grid. This grid is placed on the surface of the brain. The labgrown neurons then sprout connections and grow down into the host brain. They form biological links with existing neural circuits. It sounds impossible but they have already tested it on mice.
The mouse trials provided a proof of concept. Nine mice were implanted with the device. Five of them successfully learned to move left or right when the device was activated. This suggests that the brain can accept and integrate these foreign neurons. Hodak calls it a biocompatible way to upgrade the mind. He claims there is a safety valve built in too. Patients can take a specific vitamin to kill the engineered neurons if something goes wrong.
This technology is leading toward a singular goal. Hodak views BCI as a tool for longevity. He believes we can eventually separate intelligence from the biological brain. He calls this "substrate independence." The idea is to upload human consciousness into a machine or a new biological vessel. He predicts that by 2035 patients facing terminal illness might have the option to enter a digital existence instead of dying.
The implications for society are profound and potentially terrifying. A future where minds can merge creates strange possibilities. Hodak muses about "super organisms" where multiple people share a single consciousness. It sounds like the plot of a dystopian novel. Yet he presents it as a logical evolution of the science. He envisions a world where we cure diseases by simply moving the mind out of the sick body.
There is a massive economic hurdle to clear first. Healthcare systems operate on finite budgets. A sudden influx of expensive lifeextending technology could break the model. The divide between the rich and the poor could become biological. One class might have perfect recall and digital immortality while the other cannot afford the upgrade.
Hodak remains focused on the engineering despite these societal questions. He learned from his time with Musk that decisive action beats endless debate. He has taken the lessons from Neuralink and applied them to a broader canvas. He is not just trying to fix broken brains. He is trying to evolve them. The world is watching to see if his science can catch up to his imagination.