BCI devices are on display at the 2nd China Brain-Computer Interfaces Conference held in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province on November 16, 2024. Photo: Zhang Weilan/GT

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) technology is advancing rapidly in China, according to scientists and experts at a recent industry forum held on Saturday. The research on BCI technology in China has reached a pivotal stage, transitioning from laboratory research to market applications. Analysts said this progress is poised to significantly contribute to economic growth and foster new competitive advantages.

Driven by top universities, research institutions, and government initiatives in artificial intelligence and healthcare, the development of domestic BCI technology has gained significant momentum, experts noted.

The remarks were made during a BCI conference in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, themed "Brain-Computer Interconnection, Creating the Future Together." The two-day conference has focused on the latest developments in BCI, highlighting its potential to transform sectors like healthcare, education, and disability support.

BCI represents a groundbreaking technology enabling communication between the brain and computers by capturing and interpreting neural signals. "In the past 20 years, BCI technology has seen rapid development and a broadening range of applications," said Zhao Jizong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also the chief director of China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases.

BCI technology could facilitate numerous medical applications, including such as controlling prosthetics via thought and addressing nervous system disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and Parkinson's disease. The ultimate goal of a direct BCI is to restore motor functions in individuals, Zhao noted.

Driven by advances in neuroscience, computational electronics, and medicine over the years, BCI, as a frontier technology has become a leading force in driving scientific and technological advancements and industrial transformation, Zhao said during a keynote speech at the conference on Saturday.

Innovation breakthroughs

Research on BCI technology in China, has reached a crucial phase of innovation breakthroughs and expanded applications, despite its late start, the Global Times reporter learned from the conference. "In recent years, China's BCI technology has been shifting toward clinical applications, achieving significant milestones," Hong Bo, head of Weixian College, Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

A handful of Chinese scientific research institutions, hospitals and high-tech companies are conducting clinical trials and actively advancing domestically developed, independent, and controllable BCI systems. 

A notable example is that in October 2023, a minimally invasive, wireless BCI system developed by a Tsinghua team led by Hong Bo, was implanted into the brains of two paralyzed patients, marking the world's first patient BCI rehabilitation trial.

On Wednesday, the Tsinghua research team completed its third clinical trial implantation in Shanghai. Two days later, the Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, successfully implanted a high-channel, domestically developed BCI into the brain of a tumor patient, representing a major breakthrough in the field. 

Also, at the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, a Chinese company, NeuCyber NeuroTech (Beijing) Co, in collaboration with the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, demonstrated a domestically developed BCI system allowing a monkey to operate a robotic arm solely through its thoughts, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Commercial outlook

Recent developments suggest that these advancements may signal the maturation of the technology, offering a promising commercial outlook. Industry insiders also believe that innovations in BCI technology, abundant clinical resources, and the significant demand for brain disease treatments are the advantages to drive the development of China's BCI industry.

China has been proactively pushing for BCI industry development. The technology has entered the "final stretch" before clinical implementation, Huang Li, chairman of Wuhan Neuracom Technology Development Co, told the Global Times on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, the widespread use of BCI technology is creating substantial market potential, and the BCI market may now be approaching a turning point. Huang said, citing an industry report by Canada-based market research and consulting organization, Precedence Research, that the global BCI market size was valued at $2.35 billion in 2023 and is expected to exceed $10.89 billion by 2033, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 16.55 percent from 2024 to 2033.

Huang also emphasized the role of leading enterprises in advancing technological self-reliance and driving new competitive advantages in productivity. According to Huang, his company has developed a two-way BCI technology with over 65,000 channels, significantly surpassing the 3,000-channel one-way systems developed by foreign competitors. Notably, it has submitted over 210 BCI-related patents in the past five years.

A BCI device model developed by Wuhan Neuracom Technology Development Co Photo: Zhang Weilan/GT

At the conference, experts, both domestic and international, expressed optimism about advancements in China's BCI sector. 

Gerwin Schalk, an Austrian visiting professor at Fudan University, said China has made significant progress in BCI technology, with promising potential to achieve global leadership in certain areas, particularly commercialization. "They are strongly motivated by commercial needs," he added. "China's large population provides advantages in testing and commercial opportunities. Its manufacturing capabilities are more developed and faster than in the West."

China's progress in BCI is commendable, and its future in the neurotechnology and BCI industry looks promising, said Schalk, adding that there is a significant interest and growth in BCI technology in China, with a focus on wearables, brain monitoring, and deep brain stimulation. 

China's progress in BCI technology is remarkable, due to the country's numerous advantages in fostering BCI innovation, such as a vast research population, robust government support, and ample funding opportunities, Mohamad Sawan, a fellow of the Royal Society of Sciences of Canada told the Global Times on Saturday.

China is a global leader in various aspects, including command capabilities, data transmission speed, and recognition precision. Although China is almost on par with Western countries in BCI technology, there are major differences between how they approach BCI research. The Chinese market is primarily led by non-invasive BCI companies, the US counterparts are more advanced in invasive ones, Ming Dong, vice president of Tianjin University and vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, told the Global Times on Saturday.

However, the overall development of the Chinese BCI industry is still in its early stages. China's development of the BCI sector is at an advanced level, but gaps persist with the world's leading players in terms of invasive BCI technology and algorithms, according to Sawan.

Despite the rapid advancements, the transition of BCI technology from laboratory research to practical applications is not without challenges. Ming emphasized a significant gap between industry demand and available talent. To bridge this gap, Tianjin University launched its inaugural BCI program to train interdisciplinary professionals.

Looking ahead, BCI technology holds immense potential for various applications. In healthcare, it improves life for people with disabilities. In industry, it helps workers operate machines more safely and efficiently. In art and entertainment, it provides innovative methods to develop interactive art, video games, and virtual reality experiences, offering users a deeper sense of immersion.

"Perhaps in the next 3 to 5 years, 80 percent of neuroscience-related technological breakthroughs will be implemented and applied in China, positioning the country's BCI technology and industry at the leading edge on a global scale," Huang said.