GLOBAL — Ekhbary News Agency
Gidi Littwin, a key figure behind Apple’s FaceID and Vision Pro technologies, has successfully raised $52 million in funding for his startup, Hemispheric. The company is pioneering an artificial intelligence model designed to decode the brain's electrical activity, offering a non-invasive method for diagnosing cognitive disorders. Littwin, who departed Apple in 2020, co-founded Hemispheric with Hagai Lalazar, an AI specialist focused on brain analysis without surgical intervention.
Revolutionizing Diagnostic Approaches
Hemispheric has amassed a vast dataset of brain activity from 100,000 paid volunteers across Asia, Tel Aviv, and Boston, totaling a quarter of a million hours. This extensive data collection underpins the training of their deep-learning models, which aim to provide objective insights into brain function. Traditionally, diagnosing conditions like depression, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s has relied heavily on subjective questionnaires and behavioral observations due to the unique nature of individual brain activity. Hemispheric's approach, as it happens, directly addresses this challenge by inferring brain function from electrical signals, much like large language models derive meaning from text.
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Path to Clinical Application and Accessibility
Initial tests of the generalized model on individuals diagnosed with PTSD, schizophrenia, and depression have yielded accurate deductions regarding their brain health. The team is now conducting a clinical study to assess the model's capability in diagnosing and predicting Alzheimer's. Littwin and Lalazar plan to submit their first product, targeting PTSD, for FDA approval early next year, with hopes for a public rollout in late 2027. They envision a future where cognitive health diagnostics are as simple and accessible as a blood test, using affordable, lightweight EEG headsets that patients wear for about 15 minutes while interacting with a tablet app. This advancement promises to empower clinicians with precise diagnostic tools, aiding in treatment selection and progress monitoring, marking a pivotal shift in mental healthcare accessibility.
