Whoop has LeBron – now it wants your mom

Whoop has LeBron – now it wants your mom

For the better part of a decade, Whoop sold itself as a secret weapon for serious athletes. LeBron James was convinced to slap on the company’s fitness band in Whoop’s first year. Michael Phelps came soon after. Other Whoop wearers include Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrick Mahomes, and Rory McIlroy. The message to the public? The world’s…

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Why scientists can’t get a laugh

Why scientists can’t get a laugh

A newly published survey of more than 500 science conference presentations across a two-year period set out to determine whether scientists are funny, which is itself funny, if not the most productive use of time. The results were about what you’d expect: two-thirds of attempts at humor garnered either polite chuckles or straight-up dead silence,…

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Chinese brain interface startup Gestala raises M just two months after launch

Chinese brain interface startup Gestala raises $21M just two months after launch

Elon Musk’s Neuralink and OpenAI-backed Merge Labs are pushing forward with brain–computer interface (BCI) technology in the U.S. Meanwhile, Chinese serial entrepreneur Phoenix Peng is building rival efforts through two startups: NeuroXess, which develops implantable BCI systems, and a second company, Gestala, developing non-invasive ultrasound-based BCIs. Gestala has raised $21.6 million (CN¥150 million) just two…

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AWS launches a new AI agent platform specifically for health care

AWS launches a new AI agent platform specifically for health care

Amazon Web Services announced Thursday the launch of Amazon Connect Health. This AI agent-powered platform is meant to help health care organizations automate repetitive administrative tasks including appointment scheduling, documentation, and patient verification, among other things. Amazon Connect Health is HIPAA eligible and connects with electronic health record (EHR) software. The platform is currently partnered…

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China’s brain-computer interface industry is racing ahead

China’s brain-computer interface industry is racing ahead

While Elon Musk’s Neuralink likes to say it’s “pioneering” brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), China’s BCI industry is already quietly moving from research to scale. A new wave of startups is racing to commercialize both implantable and noninvasive BCIs, backed by stronger policy support, expanding clinical trials, and growing investor interest. So says Phoenix Peng, who has…

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