SUTD student’s brainwave device helps paralysed patients communicate

Lianhe Zaobao, 大学生新发明让瘫痪者用脑波说话 陈笃生医院下月试行 

(Translated summary)

SUTD first-year student Mohammed Khambhati Huzefa’s start-up Neural Drive has developed a lower-cost, easy-to-use AI wearable device aimed at helping paralysed patients with severe speech and mobility impairments due to stroke or ALS communicate through brainwaves and blinks. The non-invasive brain-computer interface uses electrodes placed above the eye and behind the ears to capture brain and neurobiological signals, which are decoded by AI models to trigger actions such as sending messages or controlling smart home devices.

The device is expected to retail at around S$2,500, significantly lower than existing eye-tracking systems, with local families potentially able to purchase it at a subsidised price of S$500 by end-2026 or early 2027. Neural Drive will begin an 18-month clinical trial at Tan Tock Seng Hospital next month involving around 30 inpatients and home-based patients. The start-up has also secured US$250,000 in pre-seed funding from San Francisco-based Afore Capital, reaching a post-money valuation of US$3.5 million. Mohammed and co-founder Raymond Ng will be joining Afore Capital’s year-long Founder-in-Residence programme in San Francisco to further develop the company.