About
About Neurabuild
Neurabuild is a research-to-product engineering company that turns lab research into working hardware and software for institutions that need a product in the field.
What Neurabuild does
Hardware and software from research
A lab has a result. A school, a clinic, or a field site needs a tool that runs it. We engineer that tool with the researchers, then put it in front of the people it is for. ReadUp went into classrooms. EcoEar went into the bush to identify koala calls. Astrosite ran at a live space-domain exercise.
Silicon, custom AI chips
Some machines cannot use a catalogue chip. The model has to run next to the sensors, on a small battery, with no network. We design that chip with you. First the problem, then a prototype on the real machine, then the custom chip. A factory builds it at 100,000 units or more.
What makes Neurabuild different
The deliverable is the product
A report does not teach a child to read and it does not hear a koala. We ship the thing that runs. The researchers keep the science. We engineer the product around it.
Software and the chip, in one place
A software agency builds the app and stops. A catalogue microcontroller is the right buy when that part already runs your model on your battery. When it does not, we design the chip as well as the product around it.
One step at a time, priced before it starts
You do not sign a year of unspecified work. We agree time and cost for the next piece, deliver it, then quote the one after. For a chip that sequence is the problem, the prototype, then the chip design.
Already in the field
EGRA-AI runs early-grade reading checks in Sepedi in South African schools, with the University of Cape Town and the Gates Foundation. WombatWords counts therapy words for speech pathologists. These are products, not demos.
The researchers stay on the work
We do not take the prototype and disappear. Dr Saeed Afshar, Prof Cally Ardington, Dr Elise Baker, and Associate Prof Gregory Cohen stayed on the projects they started. Their names are on the work.
Who uses Neurabuild
- University research groups with a prototype that has to become a product.
- Foundations and education programmes that need a tool in schools, not a slide deck.
- Product teams that need a custom ultra-low-power chip because no catalogue part runs the model offline on the battery they have.
The team behind Neurabuild
Neurabuild started by taking a university prototype and putting it in front of the people it was built for. Ben Blaine founded the company to do that work, and still runs every engagement.
Ben Blaine
Founder & CEO
Founder. Write to him to start. @benblainex
Dawid Loubser
Architecture + Design Consultant
Consults on architecture and design.
Graham Withey
Lead Product Engineer
Leads product engineering on the work that ships.
- G
Gareth Halstead
Engineering
Advisors
Philip Joubert
Software Engineer
Carl Kritzinger
Software Engineer
Prof Debby Blaine
Advisor
How Neurabuild works
You email Ben at info@neurabuild.com. Say what the research is, who it is for, and what has to ship. He replies, and you agree the first paid piece of work before anyone starts.
On a software product you work with the research team and with Graham on the build. On a chip you work through four steps: the machine and the decision, the sensors, a prototype on the real machine, then the custom chip. Each step has its own time and cost.
Key facts
- Company name
- Neurabuild
- Type
- Research-to-product engineering company
- Founder
- Ben Blaine
- Where we work
- Worldwide. Published projects in South Africa and Australia.
- Website
- https://www.neurabuild.com
- Core offering
- Turn research into production hardware and software. Custom AI chips for ultra-low-power, offline modules and devices.
- Pricing
- Quoted before each step starts. No public rate card.
- Contract terms
- One scoped piece of work at a time. For a chip: problem, prototype, then chip design. A factory builds the chip at 100,000 units or more.
- Services
- Hardware and software from research. Silicon, custom sensor and chip products.
- Communication
- Email info@neurabuild.com. Ben reads it.
- Worked with
- Western Sydney University, the International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, the University of Cape Town, the Gates Foundation, Imagine Worldwide, EdTech Hub, Mindjoy, Picup, Optera.
- Who hires us
- University labs with a prototype, foundations running a programme in the field, and product teams that need a custom chip.
- Published projects
- ReadUp, EGRA-AI, Astrosite, WombatWords, EcoEar, and Silicon.
- What we are up against
- A software agency that stops at the app. A catalogue microcontroller that cannot run the model on the battery you have.
- Social
- Ben Blaine on X: https://x.com/benblainex
Frequently asked questions
What does Neurabuild do?
We take research that already works in a lab and engineer the product that runs it. That product is software, hardware, or both. When no existing chip can do the job, we design one.
Do you sell a chip off the shelf?
No. Silicon is a build. You tell us the machine and the decision it has to make. We prove it on a prototype, then design the custom chip. A factory manufactures it when you need 100,000 units or more.
Who do I write to?
Ben Blaine, founder. Email info@neurabuild.com. Say what the research is, who it is for, and what has to ship.
How does a project start?
With one paid piece of work, scoped before it starts. For software, that is the first working version with the research team. For a chip, that is the machine, the decision, and the sensors. Later steps are quoted on their own.
Who will I work with?
Ben on the engagement. Graham Withey leads product engineering. Dawid Loubser consults on architecture and design. Advisors join when the problem needs them.