Kernel (neurotechnology company)

Johnson founded Kernel in 2016 with a $54 million investment and began researching neuroprosthetics, devices implanted into the brain that mimic, substitute, or assist brain functions. Kernel raised $53 million in 2020. Kernel Flow Kernel Flow is a wearable time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) system. fNIRs uses infrared light to measure changes in the oxygenation of blood, which is a proxy for neural activity. Kernel Flow can achieve a 200 Hz sampling rate. The spatial resolution of f-NIRS is strongly limited by scattering, with most existing f-NIRS systems having resolutions > 2 cm. == Operations ==

Kernel plans to read and write the underlying functions of the brain. As of 2019, the company is researching neurological diseases and dysfunctions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, depression and anxiety. Kernel is one of several companies researching links between the human brain and computer interfaces. Others include Neuralink, Precision Neuroscience, Synchron, and Facebook. Kernel also offers neuroscience as a service to scientists and businesses, conducting subject testing at their office. == References ==