World's first interventional brain-computer interface (BCI) experiment on non-human primates was successfully completed Thursday in Beijing, marking a leap forward in promoting brain science research, according to a report published on the website of Nankai University.

Led by Nankai University, the research team attached the interventional electroencephalograph (EEG) to a monkey's cerebrovascular wall through interventional surgery, so as to collect intracranial EEG signals without craniotomy.

After operation, the scientists successfully identified and collected EEG signals which achieved control over a mechanical arm.

The experiment is based on a previous interventional BCI experiment on sheep, said the report. It has realized the technological leap from passive collection to active control of interventional EEG signals, and also achieved breakthroughs in the core technologies such as the acquisition of the intravascular EEG signals and the identification of interventional EEG signals.

Duan Feng, team leader and professor at Nankai University, said the experiment is significant for advancing research in the field of brain science, and marks China's BCI technology ranking among the world's top.

Compared to traditional invasive and non-invasive BCI, interventional BCI has balanced the stability of recognition and safety, Duan told Xinhua.

It promoted the development of the interventional BCI from laboratory research to clinical application, which has a broad market prospect in brain disease medical rehabilitation, said Duan.

The experiment was jointly completed by Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital and Shanghai HeartCare Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency.)