China Approves Implantable BCI System, Bringing "Mind-Controlled Movement" Closer to Patients

For countless patients with motor disorders, the dream of lifting and grasping steadily with a paralyzed hand just by thinking is drawing closer. On March 13, China’s National Medical Products Administration officially approved the listing of the "Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Hand Movement Function Compensation System", known as the NEO System. The coin-sized system, implanted into the brain through surgery, enables patients with hand movement impairments caused by spinal cord injuries to use their thoughts to control a pneumatic glove and complete actions such as holding a cup and picking up objects.

Popularly speaking, a brain-computer interface (BCI) is a connection channel between the brain and machines. Our brain, enclosed in the skull, can only interact with the outside world through natural "biological interfaces" such as eyes, ears, hands and feet. Sensory organs convert external information into electrical signals and transmit them to the brain, which processes them and sends instructions to direct the body’s reactions.

"The core value of BCI is to use a digital system to bypass these ‘biological interfaces’ when they are damaged or malfunctioning, and rebuild a direct communication bridge between the brain and the outside world," Yu Shan, a researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Science and Technology Daily. This is particularly important for disabled patients: those who lose mobility due to stroke, spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have intact thinking, but the signal path between the brain and limbs is blocked. BCI can extract movement instructions from the brain, bypass the damaged parts, and directly control mice, keyboards, exoskeletons or robotic arms, allowing patients to "control objects with their minds" through "brain reading".

After decades of exploration, BCI has evolved from laboratory research to clinical application in three stages. The concept of "brain-computer interface" was first proposed in 1973; in the 21st century, the technology entered the human trial phase; since 2021, with breakthroughs in flexible materials and artificial intelligence, the safety and stability of equipment have been greatly improved, and a number of non-implantable products have been approved for listing.

Currently, BCIs are mainly divided into three types based on electrode implantation depth and invasiveness: non-invasive, invasive and semi-invasive. The non-invasive type, worn on the scalp, is non-invasive and convenient but has low signal quality. The invasive type, with sensors implanted directly into the cerebral cortex, offers high precision but carries surgical risks. The semi-invasive type, a "compromise", implants sensors inside the skull but outside the dura mater, balancing precision and safety. The newly approved NEO System belongs to the semi-invasive type.

Zhao Jizong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and neurosurgery expert, noted that BCI technology is moving towards clinical application but is still in the exploration stage. "It is more of an auxiliary rehabilitation method, not a panacea, and cannot replace traditional rehabilitation treatment. It is like providing an additional path on the original basis," he said.

Yu Shan added that BCI is in the transition from laboratory technology to clinical application, and it is a powerful supplement to existing rehabilitation methods. Optimistically, it will be more widely used in the next 3 to 5 years, helping the disabled improve their quality of life and potentially expanding to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and severe depression. BCI also faces ethical and safety challenges, which require improved industry standards and in-depth scientific research to address.