- China is making rapid progress in developing less invasive, highly effective brain chips.
- Chinese companies such as StairMed and NeuroXess are already testing their devices on patients with paralysis or epilepsy.
- NEO and Beinao No.1 stand out among the implants for recovering motor and cognitive functions.
- State investment and scientific collaboration boost China's position in global neurotechnology.
In recent years, the advancement of brain chips in China is gaining international attention and is beginning to compete directly with pioneering companies like Neuralink. The Asian giant's interest in connecting the human brain with electronic devices is not limited only to innovation, but also has a determined public, private and scientific support in the global race to dominate this technology.
The recent appearance of New generations of Chinese brain chips has allowed people with severe physical disabilities to interact with devices, restore movement, and even recover some lost cognitive abilities. Although China began investing in this technology after the United States, speed and efficiency of its progress is already beginning to set new benchmarks in the sector.
StairMed, NEO, and minimally invasive innovations
One of the most striking developments comes from the company StairMed, based in Shanghai, who has designed brain implants that are smaller and less invasive than traditional ones. Their device, implanted in people without limbs, has allowed them to play video games using only your brain activity. To achieve this, they only need to place eight probes on the brain's outer membrane, thus reducing the surgical risk but maintaining a high capacity to capture neural signals.
Among the featured devices are: NEO, a completely wireless brain-computer interface that helps paralyzed patients regain hand movement through a pneumatic glove. This system uses electrodes placed on the dura mater, the protective layer of the brain, and has shown that, after months of use, patients can perform everyday activities such as eating and drinking independently.
The NEO development team has collaborated with electrical engineers to integrate neuromorphic chips, which mimic the way the brain processes information. This allows for the manufacture of smaller, more efficient implants, capable of providing faster brain signal processing without increasing energy consumption.
NeuroXess and Mandarin Language Decoding
Another pillar of Chinese neurotechnology is NeuroXess, a company also based in Shanghai, implanted a 2024-electrode interface in the cerebral cortex of a patient with epilepsy in 256. In just two weeks, she was able to control a wheelchair and navigate mobile apps using brain signals. At the same time, the scientific team implanted the same type of device in another patient with a tumor in the language area of the brain, who was able to communicate in Mandarin at a speed of 50 words per minute, which represents a milestone in real-time brain language decoding.
NeuroXess experts believe the technology can still be perfected, as human speech can reach a speed of 150 words per minute. However, being able to interpret and translate neural signals in a complex language like Mandarin has represented a genuine breakthrough in both applied science and communicative rehabilitation.
Beinao No. 1 and cognitive recovery in Alzheimer's
In addition to mobility and communication, chips focused on the rehabilitation of lost functions in neurodegenerative diseases. The chip Beinao No. 1, developed by the China Brain Research Institute and NeuCyber NeuroTech, was successfully implanted in Alzheimer's patients, providing initial evidence of improved memory and other cognitive abilities.
This semi-invasive, wireless device is placed on the surface of the brain, thus avoiding the surgical risks associated with deeper implants. Clinical trials already show that some patients have improved their recognition of faces and voices, as well as their ability to recall memories that seemed lost. The goal is to expand the clinical sample soon to validate whether the results can be replicated on a larger scale.
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