Homegrown BCI system set to expand

China plans to begin nationwide pilot deployment of its flagship homegrown brain-computer interface system in qualified top tier hospitals by 2027, as the country accelerates efforts to build a self-reliant brain-computer industry and establish what officials describe as a replicable solution for the emerging technology from China.

Such a goal outlines one of China's most ambitious plans yet for the adoption of clinical brain-computer interface, or BCI, including expanded human trials, new implant technologies and the creation of national clinical standards by the end of the decade.

Zhang Lei, director of the Instrumentation Core at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, and general manager of Neu-Cyber NeuroTech, disclosed that Beinao-1, also known as the NeuCyber Matrix BCI System, is expected to complete enrollment for all registrational clinical trials this year and apply for a medical device registration certificate next year.

"Meanwhile, Beinao-2, or the NeuCyber Array BCI System, has entered large animal testing and is scheduled to begin clinical validation by the end of this year," he said.

Beinao-1 is a semi-invasive, wireless brain-computer interface. Unlike Neuralink's fully invasive approach, its flexible electrode array sits on the surface of the brain rather than penetrating deep brain tissue.

Beinao-2 represents China's more advanced invasive brain-computer interface program. Unlike Beinao-1, it uses high throughput flexible microelectrode arrays that penetrate brain tissue and capture individual neuronal firing signals.

Zhang said that a quadriplegic patient suffering from spinal cord injury received a Beinao-1 implant in February 2025 and has since been able to control a robotic arm, muscle stimulation systems and a computer cursor. The patient has also shown gradual recovery of upper limb function.

In another case, a patient who had lived with complete lower body paralysis for five years following spinal cord injury, regained partial neurological function three months after implantation, he added.

Under a five-year clinical roadmap outlined by Zhao Jizong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the country's leading neurosurgeons, Beinao-1 will also complete 36 human implantations in 2026 before entering pilot deployment at qualified top tier hospitals nationwide in 2027.

By 2030, China aims to establish a comprehensive set of clinical guidelines and technical standards for brain-computer interface systems, laying the foundation for broader adoption of the technology.

According to Zhao, 16 medical centers across the country are currently participating in Beinao-1 clinical studies. Sixteen patients have received implants so far, with the longest implantation period exceeding one year.

The system has accumulated more than 55,000 hours of safe operation and enabled patients to perform tasks ranging from robotic arm control to motor function rehabilitation.

In an earlier conference, Zhao Guoguang, president of Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing, said brain-computer interface technology has evolved significantly over the past decade, progressing from non-invasive systems to semi invasive and fully invasive approaches.

Advances in microelectrodes and neural implant chips now allow invasive systems to directly access cortical signals, enabling more precise control and higher bandwidth communication between brains and machines.

"This is crucial for accurate control and high bandwidth information interaction," Zhao said.