Brain-on-chip interface system. Photo: From WeChat account of Medical School of Tianjin University

Chinese researchers have developed an open-source “brain-on-chip” interface system, which is the first of its kind in the world. The system can instruct a robot to avoid obstacles, track, and grasp through “mind control,” the Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday. 

The interface system was co-developed by research teams from Tianjin University and Southern University of Science and Technology. 

The system uses an artificial brain cultivated in vitro – such as a “brain-like organ,” which can interact with external information through encoding, decoding and stimulus-feedback when coupled with electrode chips, according to the report.  

The Tianjin University researchers have applied for 15 national invention patents in the field of brain-on-chip interfaces, with two patents under review in the US and the UK. In the future, the team will further explore key scientific research such as intelligent communication, migration, and integration in this sector, to promote the early application of the technology, according to Tianjin University.
 
The research team from Tianjin University have recently published a study in the international journal Brain in the field of neuroscience, providing with a better intelligent foundation for cultivating a “brain,” according to the report.

The human brain weighs only three pounds, but it is one of the most complex substances known in the world. As an important emerging branch of brain-machine interfaces, brain-on-chip is expected to push forward the development of cutting-edge technologies such as hybrid intelligence, said Tianjin University. 

The tech is still in its early stages, involving key aspects such as intelligent foundations and intelligent communication. The intelligent foundation, serving as the central processing unit (CPU) of the intelligent entity, is the core of achieving intelligent capabilities on the chip, aiming to efficiently simulate and analyze the brain. 

The brain-like organ, which, despite having a structure and function similar to the human brain, still faces challenges such as low maturity and inadequate nutrient supply, according to the Tianjin University research team.