Chinese researchers step up brain-computer technology development

A woman uses BCI technology to type on a computer. Photo: Courtesy of Tianiin University

Chinese scientists have stepped up research in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology — implanting computer chips into the brains of people with disabilities and having achieved positive results. 

Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) in Beijing and its affiliated startup, NeuCyber NeuroTech, has successfully developed a semi-invasive BCI system called Beinao No 1, and completed their first batch of five human implants this year, a representative from the company told Global Times during an exclusive interview.

The progress has garnered significant international attention. With some media outlets described it as “the world’s first batch of semi-invasive wireless BCIs implanted in the human brain.” 

“A Chinese brain chip implant can help restore speech and mobility and has fueled a global tech race,” CNN reported in July. The report outlined several breakthroughs achieved by Chinese research teams and said that China’s advancements in BCI technology are challenging industry leaders such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink. 

However, as the country’s rapid advancements in BCI have sparked growing  attention and debate, how far has BCI technology come? Can it truly bring to life the futuristic scenes depicted in science fiction movies? And perhaps most importantly, how will this technology shape the future of humanity? These intriguing questions led to a recent visit to the laboratories of CIBR in Beijing. 

Upon entering the institute’s various laboratories, visitors encounter a diverse array of equipment—flashing server rooms, mechanical arms under test, and biochemistry labs. This diversity underscores the inherently interdisciplinary nature of BCI technology, which spans medicine, mechanics, communications, and computing. 

Set up in 2018, the institute has been at the forefront of this cutting-edge field, leading the establishment of a BCI start-up NeuCyber NeuroTech. In a recent case, the Beinao-1 system developed by the CIBR and NeuCyber NeuroTech, was implanted on the dura mater of a patient with speech impairment caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 

Through neural signal decoding, the patient’s thoughts can be translated into messages such as “get me a doctor” in Chinese characters on the screen.

With the help of the BCI system, the patient can produce over 60 commonly used Chinese words and phrases through post-surgery training, gradually restoring their communication abilities in Chinese, Li Yuan, business development director at the company, told Global Times.

Brain activity relies on the transmission of electrical signals between cells, enabling everything from basic survival actions like eating and sleeping to complex functions such as memory and emotion. By using engineering methods to precisely capture these electrical signals, transmit them with minimal latency, and decode them using external computing devices, BCIs can interpret the brain’s intentions. This is the core principle behind modern BCI technology, Li said.

According to Li, BCIs are used primarily in medical settings. For instance, they can help paralyzed patients control external devices such as robotic arms or computer cursors. Companies such as Neuralink have demonstrated how patients can move cursors, type words, browse the internet, and even play video games using only their neural signals. 

Similarly, China’s Beinao-1 system has shown promise in helping patients with conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) regain the ability to communicate by decoding their brain signals to produce speech, Li said.

BCI technology can be categorized into three types based on the depth of brain signal acquisition: non-invasive, semi-invasive, and invasive. Non-invasive BCIs, which involve placing electrodes on the scalp, are the safest but yield low-precision signals. 

Semi-invasive BCIs, such as Beinao-1 place electrodes on the dura mater (the outermost layer of the brain’s protective membranes), offering a balance between signal quality and surgical risk. Invasive BCIs, such as those developed by Neuralink, insert electrodes directly into brain tissue, providing the highest signal precision but with significant surgical risks, Li noted.

The Beinao-1 system has also helped paralyzed patients, including a paraplegic patient with spinal cord injury and a hemiplegic stroke survivor, use mind control to operate computers and robotic arms. It can also decode and output Chinese speech for an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient with speech disorder, according to Li.

This marked the first time a wireless, fully implanted BCI system decoded Chinese language, a complex task given the nature of the Chinese characters, Li noted.

Beinao-1 is the world’s first high-throughput wireless fully implanted chip and is an electroencephalogram-based BCI system, Li said. The company is also developing the Beinao-2 wireless chip, which uses a different technical approach from the first version to maximize signal quality

A monkey implanted with Beinao-2 was able to control a robotic arm, Li said, adding that the chip will likely enter clinical trials next year.

In recent years, China has rolled out policies to strengthen BCI research and industrial development, positioning itself as both a key innovation hub and a market. The country has now achieved breakthroughs in scenarios such as assisted disease diagnosis, high-risk occupational safety monitoring, motor rehabilitation, and neuromodulation therapies for brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, Xinhua News Agency reported.

While BCI technology holds promise, its potential applications should not be overstated, Li said. Brain-science research is still in its early stages, Li said, adding that our current understanding of the brain is extremely limited, and the technology is far from being able to achieve those advanced applications in science fiction or films.

“There is still a lot of unknowns about the mechanisms of complex brain activities such as memory and emotion, as well as the distribution of corresponding brain regions. Therefore, there is no way to collect signals and decode them.”

While Li said that she is working toward broader commercialization of BCI technology, she emphasized that its applications should not be overstated. For instance, she noted that using BCI systems to restore normal vision remains a distant goal. “It is not a panacea, nor is it the optimal solution for every related condition,” she said.

Global Times