--- title: "Facebook Just Bought a Brain-Computer Interface Startup" description: "Facebook just acquired mind control interface startup CTRL-Labs for anywhere between half and one billion dollars, according to Bloomberg." date: "2019-09-24" modified: "2019-09-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-brain-computer-startup" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "brain computer interface" - "facebook" - "mind control" - "the digest" - "thought control" --- # Facebook Just Bought a Brain-Computer Interface Startup ![]() *\Image: CTRL-lab\* ## Assuming CTRL Facebook just acquired mind control interface startup CTRL-labs for a sum that may have approached a billion dollars, [according to *Bloomberg*](). The startup was developing a special bracelet that allowed users to control virtual avatars with brain activity alone — a new category of input device that doesn't rely on a keyboard or mouse. *Bloomberg* suggested that Facebook may one day pair the tech with either augmented or virtual reality glasses. ## Outside Help Facebook has been working on its own brain-computer interface for a number of years now. First announced at its F8 conference in 2017, the[ non-invasive wearable]() device is meant to one day allow users to type by simply imagining themselves talking. But CTRL-lab's bracelet isn't quite as ambitious as that. It technically isn't able to read your thoughts — it rather detects tiny electrical impulses from muscle fibers in, say, your arm, and translates those signals into movement on a screen. ## Detecting Impulses The acquisition sheds light on the substantial difficulties in developing a brain-signal reading device that doesn't require invasive surgery. It also comes at an interesting regulatory moment. Attorneys general in a number of U.S. states [announced]() earlier this month that they are opening antitrust investigations into Facebook — something that is bound to keep acquisitions like this one under critical observation. **READ MORE:** [Facebook acquires neural monitoring startup CTRL-labs]() \[*Engadget*\] **More on Facebook's brain-computer interface:** *[Zuckerberg: Facebook is Building a Machine to Read Your Thoughts]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()