BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- At an exhibition held during the ongoing 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) in Beijing, a range of brain-computer interface (BCI) products -- from specialized chips to rehabilitation systems -- drew large crowds.
"Brain-computer interface technology is advancing rapidly, and its applications are expanding," said Zhao Jizong, a neurosurgery expert and an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, while sharing the latest BCI progress on Friday at the Brain-Computer Interface Innovation Development Forum, a session of the 2026 ZGC Forum Annual Conference.
Among the exhibition products, two domestically developed intelligent systems, known as "Beinao-1" and "Beinao-2," attracted particular attention. Zhao noted that "Beinao-1," a semi-invasive BCI system, has been implanted in seven patients. All have recovered well and regained movement and speech functions. "Beinao-2" will enter clinical verification this year.
A BCI creates a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. By recording and interpreting brain signals, BCI allows the brain to "talk" directly to machines, enabling patients to control assistive devices.
As a frontier technology in human-computer interaction, BCI has been driving a new wave of technological and industrial transformation. China has introduced a series of policies to strengthen BCI research and industrial deployment. The BCI sector has been designated as a future industry in this year's government work report.
At the forum, experts from research institutions, hospitals, universities and companies shared experiences and held discussions on BCI technology and its industrial applications.
Gu Xiaosong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, noted that since 2025, China's BCI development has accelerated significantly, with various technologies entering the application verification phase and yielding impressive results.
In recent years, medical institutions in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing and other cities have set up BCI clinics or clinical research wards. A range of BCI products developed in China has been applied in areas such as disease diagnosis, motor rehabilitation and neuromodulation treatment for conditions like Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
This month, China's National Medical Products Administration approved the world's first invasive BCI medical device for market. The equipment is intended for patients who suffer from quadriplegia caused by cervical spinal cord injuries and are unable to perform grasping movements with their fingers.
Zhao noted that China faces serious challenges from neurological diseases such as stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury, with a large patient population, including more than 3.7 million people living with spinal cord injuries. BCI has opened a new path for rehabilitation treatment, and clinical demand is high.
Local governments across China are building service platforms. Lin Hang, deputy head of Beijing's Haidian District, said at the forum that the district is already home to 27 core BCI companies. By 2030, it aims to attract about 100 innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and promote large-scale commercial application of BCI products in medical care, rehabilitation, industry, education and other fields, creating a hub for "AI plus BCI" innovation.
Despite the rapid growth of the BCI industry, experts have noted that challenges remain in areas such as technical reliability, safety and ethics, requiring continued steady exploration.
"We need breakthroughs not only in technological innovation but also in building a complete ecosystem covering industrial development, talent cultivation and standard setting," Gu said. ■
