China's brain-computer interface innovation in fast lane

China is emerging as a key player in brain-computer interface (BCI) innovation, marked by rapid clinical progress and state-backed research.

China's first invasive BCI surgery

In June, a Chinese medical team successfully implanted an invasive BCI in a patient who had lost all four limbs, enabling him to play video games using only his mind. The breakthrough makes China the second country in the world, after the United States, to advance BCI technology to the clinical trial stage.

The landmark trial was conducted at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in collaboration with Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University and relevant enterprises.

The patient, who lost his limbs in a high-voltage electrical accident 13 years ago, could play video games like car racing within only two to three weeks of training with a BCI implant.

The science behind this breakthrough is revolutionary. Every thought humans have creates electrical impulses in the brain. The BCI system acts like a translator: capturing these neural signals, decoding them through advanced algorithms and converting them into digital commands.

This creates a direct pathway between mind and machine, allowing patients to control devices with pure thought.

The size of a coin, the device was independently developed by Chinese scientists for clinical use and is implanted in a thinned area of the skull.

Its ultra-flexible neural electrodes, just 5 to 8 millimeters at the tip, can be inserted into brain tissue via minimally invasive surgery.

China opens BCI clinical ward

Shortly after the surgery, China opened the country's first BCI clinical ward at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, for BCI research and clinical trials and promoting related technological advancements.

"Right now, we're seeing promising results with movement and speech restoration, but it's important to understand these are still research experiments, and full clinical implementation will require further development and time," said Zhao Jizong, chief of the hospital's Neurosurgical and Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery Department.

Commercialization based on policy guidelines

In March, China's National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) released a pricing guideline for neural system care services, identifying BCIs as an independent category.

According to the NHSA, this move aims to boost the clinical application of the cutting-edge technology to benefit patients in need, against the backdrop of BCIs' rapid development over recent years.

The guideline also outlines the pricing of invasive and non-invasive BCIs, respectively, based on the distinctive features of the two BCI approaches.

The guideline will pave the way for the swift translation of mature BCI technology into clinical use in the future, and offer a compass for localities nationwide to manage relevant medical services, said the NHSA.

The guideline is part of the country's efforts to boost people's health and well-being by facilitating the application of pioneering technologies. In January, the government released a set of guidelines on elderly care services reforms, including measures to support the development of technologies such as humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces and artificial intelligence to enhance relevant services. 

"China is growing very quickly," said Tom Oxley, CEO and founder of U.S.-based BCI company Synchron.

"There are several BCI companies emerging, and it looks like the government has a very clear strategic view on this technology," Oxley told CGTN during the 2025 Summer Davos Forum in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

"It looks to me that the field of BCI is moving very, very quickly in China."

Read more: China's moving very quickly in brain-computer interface: Synchron CEO

(With input from Xinhua)