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China Advances Brain-Computer Interface with Effective Wireless Implant Trial

Medical Technology

Business Honor
17 June, 2025

China completes its first BCI trial, making the patient capable of controlling the electronic devices with thoughts and aiming for robotic arm use by 2028.

China is currently the second nation after the United States to successfully finish its first clinical study using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Huashan Hospital at Fudan University and the Shanghai-based Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology partnered to develop and implant a wireless BCI device in a tetraplegic patient. Making it an important advancement in neurotechnology, as reported by the Global Times.

After a few weeks of surgery, the patient became capable of controlling the electronic devices with thoughts. Showing how the device can transform brain impulses into instructions while playing computer games like chess and racing. This BCI device is extremely small and flexible. With a thickness less than 6 millimeters and a diameter of 26 millimeters. In addition, it is 100 times more flexible than the one developed by Neuralink, a US business that Elon Musk co-founded. Patients can find it easier and more secure using this small and flexible design.

China's next goal is to support the patient in using their thoughts to control a robotic arm. More complex actions like grabbing and holding objects would be achievable as an outcome. The lives of people who struggle with paralysis or severe movement disorders could be greatly improved by such technology. This clinical trial shows China's dedication to BCI technology, even though some Beijing-based startups have recently tested implants. By 2028, the team aims to activate the system after gaining official approval. With this achievement, China has become an important competitor to the US in the field of brain-machine interfaces, offering possibilities for interaction between humans and computers and medical treatment.